Although there are few formal requirements, presidential inaugurations have many familiar traditions. President Barack Obama will celebrate his second inauguration on January 21, 2013. He and his wife, Michelle, above, celebrated his first inauguration in 2009, walking part of the way from the Capitol to the White House after taking the formal oath of office.

This image of Washington D.C.’s National Mall was collected by the GeoEye-1 satellite on Jan. 20, 2009, to commemorate the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The image shows the monuments along the National Mall and masses of people between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, as well as ice on the Potomac River, at left.

Presidential inaugurations are organized by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCI). The JCCI is a bipartisan group chaired by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. The members of the JCCI for President Obama’s second inauguration are (from left): Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee), Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Virginia), Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), Sen. Charles Schumer, chairman (D-New York), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California), and Rep. Harry Reid (D-Nevada).

All U.S. presidents have been Christian, and many have attended a public or private worship service on Inauguration Day. Here, President-elect Dwight Eisenhower (in hat) and his wife Mamie leave the National Presbyterian Church the morning of his first inauguration, January 20, 1953.

After an informal meeting at the White House with the JCCI, the outgoing president, the president-elect, and vice president-elect travel to the Capitol, where the official ceremony takes place. The president-elect is usually accompanied by the outgoing president. Here, President Herbert Hoover joins President-elect Franklin Roosevelt on Roosevelt’s first inaugural procession on March 4, 1933.

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” With these words, American presidents are sworn into office. Here, Chief Justice Earl Warren administers the oath to President Richard Nixon at his first inauguration on January 20, 1969. Behind Chief Justice Warren and President Nixon are outgoing President Lyndon Johnson, first lady Pat Nixon, and outgoing Vice-President Hubert Humphrey.

Every president has delivered an inaugural address—a speech outlining his vision for the country. Here, President George W. Bush glances back at the audience while delivering his second inaugural address on January 20, 2005. The theme of President Bush’s inaugural address was “A Vision of America.”

Art, usually music or poetry, is an important feature of many presidential inaugurations. Robert Frost, above, reads a poem at President John Kennedy’s inauguration on January 20, 1961. Behind Frost are former President Dwight Eisenhower, President Kennedy, Vice-President Lyndon Johnson, and former Vice-President Richard Nixon.

After the oath of office has been taken, the JCCIC plays host to the new president and vice-president at a luncheon at the Capitol. This tradition began in 1953. Prior to that the new president and first lady enjoyed a private lunch. Here, President Harry Truman, first lady Bess Truman, and Vice President Alben Barkley enjoy lunch after being inaugurated on January 20, 1949.

Historically, the new president and first lady walk at least part of the way from the Capitol to the White House after the official inauguration. Here, President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Roslyn, walk the route on Pennsylvania Avenue on January 20, 1977. Once at the White House, the president and first lady review an inaugural parade featuring marching bands, military regiments, and citizen groups.

Supporters of the new president organize dozens of exclusive balls the evening of an inauguration. President Barack Obama attended ten balls in 2009, and will probably attend ten in 2013. Here, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama take a break between the festivities.

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

With these words, American presidents are sworn into the office every four years. Every president must take the oath at the beginning of their term of office. If a president is re-elected, they must take the oath at the beginning of each term.

A presidential inauguration is much more than the oath of office. Although there are few other formal requirements, there are many traditions associated with presidential inaugurations, including the date and location of the inauguration ceremony.

Since 1937, when President Franklin Roosevelt took his second oath, inaugurations have happened on January 20 of the year following the November general election. (Before that time, inaugurations were celebrated on March 4.) If January 20 falls on a Sunday, celebrations are held on January 21. For instance, in 2013, President Barack Obama celebrated his second inauguration on Monday, January 21.

Inaugural ceremonies usually take place where Congress meets. President Thomas Jefferson was the first president inaugurated at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., in 1801. (Before that time, Congress met in New York and Philadelphia, where Presidents George Washington and John Adams were inaugurated.) Since Adams, all regular inaugurations have taken place at the Capitol. One exception is the fourth inauguration of President Franklin Roosevelt in 1945. (That year, President Roosevelt was inaugurated at the White House. Exceptional inaugurations, which usually take place because of the death or incapacitation of a sitting president, have taken place in different locations and various dates since the first such case, when John Tyler was inaugurated at a hotel in Washington, D.C. following the death of President William Henry Harrison.)

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Inauguration day festivities are primarily organized by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC). The JCCIC is a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives.

However, members of the JCCIC are not the only organizers. The Joint Task Force-National Capital Region (JTR-NTR) has always participated in presidential inaugurations, to recognize the president’s role as the military commander-in-chief. The Presidential Inaugural Committee, determined by the incoming president’s staff, organizes and provides funding for inaugural balls and other festivities. Here is a chronological overview of what traditions and ceremonies a typical inauguration day entail:

Worship Service: Almost all U.S. presidents have been Christian or raised in that faith, and many have chosen to attend a public or private Christian worship service on Inauguration Day. The tradition of attending a worship service on the morning of inauguration day was started by Franklin D. Roosevelt, who attended services on the morning of his first swearing-in in 1933.

Procession to the Capitol: After the worship service, the president-elect, vice president-elect, and their spouses are accompanied to the White House by members of the JCCIC. The elected officials then take a car or limousine to the Capitol. President Jefferson (1801) and President Andrew Jackson (1829) walked to the Capitol.

Oaths of Office: The vice-president-elect is sworn in first. Vice-President John Garner was sworn in outside the Capitol for his second term with President Franklin Roosevelt in 1937. Prior to that, vice-presidents were sworn in during a separate ceremony in the Senate chamber, recognizing the vice-president’s position as president of the Senate.

The presidential oath of office is traditionally administered by the chief justice of the United States.

With some exceptions, most presidents have taken the oath of office with their hands on a Bible. Some presidents use a family Bible, such as President Bill Clinton, who used the Bible given to him by his grandmother. Other presidents choose historic Bibles. For both of his inaugurations, President Obama used the so-called Lincoln Bible, which President Abraham Lincoln used at his first inauguration in 1861.

Some presidents have not taken the oath of office on Inauguration Day, usually because of a national tragedy. For example, President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah T. Hughes on Air Force One following the assassination of President John Kennedy in 1963. Likewise, President Gerald Ford was sworn in by Chief Justice Warren Burger in the East Room of the White House following the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.

Inaugural Address: Every president has delivered an inaugural address—a speech outlining his vision for the country. President Washington’s second address is the shortest (135 words). President William Harrison’s address is the longest (8,445 words).

Inaugural addresses have given rise to many well-known phrases that we continue to quote today, such as President Kennedy’s “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” (1961) and President Franklin Roosevelt’s “we have nothing to fear but fear itself” (1933). President Lincoln’s entire second inaugural address (1865), most notable for the phrase “with malice toward none, with charity for all,” is engraved on the Lincoln Memorial.

Inaugural Luncheon: After the oath of office has been taken, the JCCIC plays host to the new president and vice-president at a luncheon at the Capitol. This has been a tradition since President Dwight Eisenhower’s first inauguration in 1953.

Inaugural Parade: The most festive part of Inauguration Day is probably the inaugural parade, in which the president, vice-president, and their families walk or ride down Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Capitol to the White House. At the White House, the president views the parade from the Presidential Reviewing Stand.

The parade is organized by the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, with participants chosen by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Participants almost always include military regiments (including many ROTC groups), veterans’ organizations, marching bands, dance companies, and floats sponsored by citizen groups.

Inaugural Balls: Supporters of the new president and vice-president have organized an exclusive party on Inauguration Day ever since President Washington’s first inauguration in 1789. In 1953, President Eisenhower’s supporters added a second ball to the evening’s festivities.

Although this order of inauguration festivities is a time-honored American tradition, with some elements dating back to George Washington, in extraordinary times, traditions can shift. In 2021, the inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris diverged significantly from the norm, as large portions of the public festivities were altered due to health concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic as well as safety concerns due to threats of political insurrection from supporters of the outgoing administration. However, while the celebratory trappings of the 2021 inauguration may have differed from past inaugurations, the oaths of office remained the same, and America’s democratic process of the peaceful transition of power marked its 244^th year and 59^th inauguration in 2021.

With these words, American presidents are sworn into the office every four years. Every president must take the oath at the beginning of his or her term of office. If a president is re-elected, he or she must take the oath at the beginning of each term. The beginning of a term is called its inauguration.

Inaugurations happen on January 20. If January 20 falls on a Sunday, celebrations are held on January 21. President Barack Obama will celebrate his second inauguration on January 21.

The inauguration takes place at the Capitol, in Washington, D.C., in front of thousands of people. Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court will swear in President Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden.

The president always gives a speech, called the inaugural address. The theme of President Obama’s 2013 inaugural address is “Faith in America’s Future.”

After the president gives his speech, thousands of people will watch the inaugural parade. Bands from all over the country march in the parade. The parade will also have floats, dance groups, and members of the military.

At night, the president and his family will go to many parties, called inaugural balls. In 2009, President Obama went to ten inaugural balls in one night!

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Inaugurations happen on January 20. If January 20 falls on a Sunday, celebrations are held on January 21. President Barack Obama will celebrate his second inauguration on January 21.

The president always gives a speech, called the inaugural address. The theme of President Obama’s 2013 inaugural address is “Faith in America’s Future.”

At night, the president and his family will go to many parties, called inaugural balls. In 2009, President Obama went to ten inaugural balls in one night!

The article was originally published here.