Tourists poke fun at ‘nuts’ Changing of the Guard ceremonies: ‘This is the most unserious, serious thing I’ve ever witnessed’

The Changing of the Guard in London and Windsor is an event that attracts hundreds of tourists, who come from all over the world to watch the military spectacle unfold.

Taking place four times a week, it sees The King’s Guard hand over responsibility for protecting Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace to the New Guard, usually involving soldiers in scarlet tunics and bearskin hats with an army band parading through central London .

However, England is not the only place where a distinctive changing of the guard ceremony takes place; different types of these events take place at many important institutions around the world.

Videos of the choreographed displays of military exercises often find their way to social media, sometimes eliciting mixed reactions.

With more clips than usual circulating online lately, tourists have started making fun of the “crazy” and “unserious” protocol.

One clip making the rounds online shows the Attari-Wagah border ceremony, where the security forces of India and Pakistan put on a show of unionism every day by conducting drills in an exaggerated manner.

Dressed in colorful clothing at sunset, the soldiers perform impressive high leg kicks and maneuvers before the two flags are lowered simultaneously and the gates are closed.

The clip, shared by X (formerly Twitter) account @TheFigen_has already been seen by a whopping 32 million people, some of whom rushed to the comments to poke fun at the bizarre ceremony.

One user joked: ‘This is the most unserious, serious thing I have ever seen.’

A second and third wrote: ‘They look like complete idiots’ and ‘They look like two peacocks prancing at each other!’

Someone else joked: “Looks like it’s turned into a dance party,” while another added: “This looks like a comedy show.”

Meanwhile, another social media user claimed: ‘That has to be one of the stupidest things I’ve seen in a while.’

A tourist who saw the dramatic event in person added his own video, writing: ‘When we were there earlier this year we had to come and see this. It was crazy. Two countries with a lot of tension that have a free march. Those guys are like 6’7 huge towers.”

However, one user defended the border ceremony and explained its significance, joking: ‘This is a moment of pride for both nationalities. You literally get goosebumps when you experience this on the spot’.

The security forces of India (Border Security Force, BSF) and Pakistan (Pakistan Rangers) have been taking part in the daily military exercise since 1959 and thousands of people gather on both sides of the border to watch it.

It represents the complex relationship between the nations and is a symbol of division as well as peace and cooperation.

The video also encouraged another user to share a clip of the Greek Changing of the Guard ceremony, which shares a similar level of flamboyance.

The X account @floridanow1 wrote: ‘The Greek Guard gets bonus points for their flair, their dress and symmetry,’ alongside a shocked emoji.

In the video, we see two of the guards, dressed in white coats, full skirts and Albanian-type slippers, performing their routine in unity, raising their legs and arms high.

Known as the Greek Evzones, the guards guard the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 24 hours a day.

They raise the Greek flag on the Acropolis every Sunday just after sunrise and lower it at sunset.

Every Sunday at 11 a.m. the great changing of the guard takes place and the evzones, accompanied by a military band, march from the presidential guard barracks to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and back.

As the video gained many views online, one user joked: “They’re also very flexible.”

But a second angrily wrote: ‘Why do they let them do things like this? It’s stupid and humiliating.”

“Looks more like a humiliation ritual,” another joked, while someone else added: “I won’t be able to stop laughing when I’m there.”

A fan of the ceremony added: ‘This is a tradition, so much is lost in our society just because ‘times are changing’. It’s refreshing to see that these have stood the test of time.”

Another wrote: ‘Loved seeing this in Athens! But the shoes kill me every time!’

Another X user joins the call (@Taner_Firtina) shared a video of the changing of Anitkabir’s Turkish guard.

“Power Rangers” and “toy soldiers” some commenters joked, with a third asking: “Why do they look like they’re dressed as henchmen in an Evil Genius game?”

The military ceremony takes place at certain times of the day and attracts the attention of tourists and locals alike.

In the clip, soldiers are seen marching in sync in black, white and blue uniforms as the crowd watches.

The videos come just after last month, when Buckingham Palace was guarded by French troops for the first time in history during an exercise approved by King Charles to mark 120 years of friendly relations.

In April 1904, an agreement known as the Entente Cordiale was concluded between the United Kingdom and the French Republic, which settled a number of controversial matters and improved Anglo-French relations.

To mark the anniversary, French troops guarded Buckingham Palace during the changing of the guard on Monday.

The forecourt of Buckingham Palace saw 32 French soldiers from the Republican Guard of the National Gendarmerie join 40 Guardsmen from F Company Scots Guards to parade around the grounds together.

A similar changing of the guard, attended by President Macron, also took place in Paris earlier that day.