Salute

A salute is a gesture or other action used to display respect. Salutes are primarily associated with armed forces, but other organisations and civilians also use salutes.

Military salutes

In military traditions of various times and places, there have been numerous methods of performing salutes, using hand gestures, cannon or rifle shots, hoisting of flags, removal of headgear, or other means of showing respect or deference. In the Commonwealth of Nations, only commissioned officers are saluted, and the salute is to the commission they carry from their respective commanders-in-chief representing the Monarch, not the officers themselves.

The French salute is almost identical to the British Army's. The customary salute in the Polish Armed Forces is the two-fingers salute, a variation of the British military salute with only two fingers extended. In the Russian military, the right hand, palm down, is brought to the right temple, almost, but not quite, touching; the head has to be covered. In the Swedish armed forces, the salute is identical to that of the U.S. armed forces and the Royal Navy. In the Hellenic Army salute the palm is facing down and the fingers point to the coat of arms.

Salute state

A salute state was a princely state under the British Raj during the time of British rule which had been granted a gun salute by the British Crown (as paramount ruler); i.e., the protocolary privilege for its ruler to be greeted—originally by Royal Navy ships, later also on land—with a number of cannon shots, in graduations of two salutes from three to 21, as recognition of the state's relative status. The gun-salute system of recognition was first instituted during the time of the East India Company in the late 18th century, and was continued under direct Crown rule from 1858.

As with the other princely states, the salute states varied greatly in size and importance. The states of Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir, both with a 21-gun salute, were each over 200,000 km2 in size, or slightly larger than the whole of Great Britain; in 1941, Hyderabad had a population of over 16,000,000, comparable to the population of Romania at the time, while Jammu and Kashmir had a population of slightly over 4 million, comparable to that of Switzerland. At the other end of the scale, Janjira and Sachin (11 and 9 guns, respectively, and both ruled by branches of the same dynasty) were respectively 137 km2 and 127 km2 in size, or slightly larger than the island of Jersey; in 1941, Janjira had a population of nearly 14,000, the smallest of the salute states.

21-gun salute

A 21-gun salute is the most commonly recognized of the customary gun salutes that are performed by the firing of cannons or artillery as a military honor.

The custom stems from naval tradition, where a warship would fire its cannons harmlessly out to sea, until all ammunition was spent, to show that it was disarmed, signifying the lack of hostile intent. As naval customs evolved, 21 guns came to be fired for heads of state, or in exceptional circumstances for head of government, with the number decreasing with the rank of the recipient of the honor.

While the 21-gun salute is the most commonly recognized, the number of rounds fired in any given salute will vary depending on the conditions. Circumstances affecting these variations include the particular occasion and, in the case of military and state funerals, the branch of service, and rank (or office) of the person to whom honors are being rendered.

History

The tradition of saluting can be traced to the Late Middle Ages practice of placing oneself in an unarmed position and, therefore, in the power of those being honored. This may be noted in the dropping of the point of the sword, presenting arms, discharging cannon and small arms by firing them, lowering sails, manning the yards, removing the headdress or laying on oars.

Podcasts:

PLAYLIST TIME:

20,000 Gun Salute

by: The Coup

* Beavis and Butthead sample *
[Butthead] Whoa! Uh-heheh-heheh, uh-heheh
That kicked ASS!
[Beavis] Yeah yeah heh yeah
That was fly
* DJ Pam the Funkstress starts cuttin up ";That was fly"; *
Chorus: Boots (repeat 2X)
20,000 gun salute, get rowdy like you got a substitute
This slug's for Newt - shut your mouth, don't pollute
Army of down motherfuckers, shit we tryin to recruit!
[Boots]
See now we're talkin systematic, mack mechanics, decomposin
Chosen, representatives, from the ho's been known to act wit
pimp theatrics, a tactic necessary
In fact they wanna have us buyin from the commissary
This commentary's for my folks under involuntary servitude
Cause bosses don't be servin you your monetary
Pervin you like rum'n'dairy pulsin through your capillaries
Some inherit green, the rest just get our folks to bury
I'm abolitionary, wishin the judiciary
say this year for merry merry, free the penitentiary!
Peoples gon' rumble as long as stomachs grumble
and crack pipes tumble over asphault that's crumbled
Hundreds come in bundles and, hop is mixed with funnels
Cause babies wit shoes too small gon' stumble
This composition is sedition, opposition to the rulin class
Wishin they could detonate us hooked to the ignition
Keep my slacks creased to punch the clock for the beast
As my rent don't cease, his pockets get obese
Can't have inner peace without havin a piece
When the stepped on step up, we let the dragon release
Chorus
[Boots]
Disaster! The filthy rich bastards wanna milk yo' ass
faster, ask fuh, no salvation comin from the damn pastor
Old ladies play canasta, under roofs of cracker plaster
Little kids dive in the trash for discarded Dutchmasters
Dead potnahs on mural walls
Homeless kids takin baths up in gas station urinals
Shit the system can't cure it all
If everybody had a job then stock value's sure to fall
Hundred million neck slashes, so these facists
can make sho' that they check cashes, let's get massive
Wage struggle as direct classes, on just how we gonna
overthrow they bitch asses, give whiplashes
from the force as we make it tight, and ignite
the flames of takin over daily life, make it a right
to have food, threads and homestead
and Pac Bell won't ever cut your phone dead -- we own it!
But these business that love payin minimum wage
ain't gon' let you take they shit unless you showin the gauge
And if you do it by yourself they gon' put you in a cage
If you in a rage, please meet me on the same page, with a
Chorus




Latest News for: gun salute

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Greek military to hold commemorative events and parade for Independence Day

Ekathimerini 25 Mar 2025
with the firing of 21 ceremonial gun salutes from the artillery battery on Lycabettus Hill ... Acropolis at 6.41 p.m., once again accompanied by 21 ceremonial gun salutes from the Lycabettus Hill battery.
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Vietnam News 25 Mar 2025
Individuals traveling to Districts 5 or 11 may consider the following route ... The momentous occasion will feature a parade with over 13,000 participants, alongside a ceremonial 21-gun salute performed in honour of the national anthem of Việt Nam ... — VNS.
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Grand Military Parade in Athens Marks Anniversary of Greek War of Independence

Greek Reporter 25 Mar 2025
Credit. AMNA/Orestis Panagiotou ... Credit ... The day’s commemorations will conclude with the official flag-lowering ceremony at the Acropolis at 6.41 p.m., once again accompanied by 21 ceremonial gun salutes from the Lycabettus Hill battery ... Credit ... Related.
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Fifty years ago, Shea Stadium was the only place to be. That’s not an ad campaign. That's a fact ... “It was really tough ... As Yankees director of media relations Marty Appel recalled, “There was a 21-gun salute with cannons firing in the outfield ... 28.
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Please join the EDC in thanking our service members and their families for all that they do by sending a salute at SpaceCoastSalutes.com. While enemy machine gun emplacements continuously directed ...
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Hindustan Times 24 Mar 2025
Senior officers and fellow police personnel were present during the funeral and paid their respects with a gun salute to the departed soul, the officer said.
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Pakistan Day celebrated with enthusiasm in KP

The News International 24 Mar 2025
The Pakistan Day was celebrated across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with great zeal and enthusiasm.In the provincial capital, the day was dawn with a 21-gun salute ... Army and police contingents presented a salute to the national flag.
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Daily Breeze 24 Mar 2025
president ... 28, 1909 ... (CSUDH Digital Archives) ... 1909 ... As the vessel navigated the waters, boats saluted it by sounding their ship’s whistles and bells. When the Perdito passed the USS McCullough, the sailors on board sounded a 21-one gun salute in tribute.
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Pakistan celebrates 85th Republic Day

Xinhua 23 Mar 2025
The day started with a 31-gun salute in the capital Islamabad, and a 21-gun salute in provincial capitals while prayer ceremonies were held across the country for the nation's progress and prosperity ... ■. EXPLORE XINHUANET. News ... .
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Not scared of dying for country, jawan killed in blast told family

The Times of India 23 Mar 2025
Midnapore ... Mondal had visited home for a family event just a month and a half ago and was actively involved in the community.Police and CRPF jawans have already reached their home to give Mondal a gun salute before his last rites are conducted.
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Nation celebrates Pakistan Day with traditional zeal

Urdu Point 23 Mar 2025
<p>ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Mar, 2025) The Pakistani nation celebrated 'Pakistan Day' on Sunday with a renewed pledge to transform the country into a true Islamic and ...
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Nation celebrates Pakistan Day with patriotic zeal and pride

Kashmir Media Service 23 Mar 2025
Islamabad ... The celebrations began with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and a 21-gun salute in the provinces. Special prayers were offered in mosques after Fajr prayers for the country’s prosperity and progress ... Yet, this is not where we stop ... ....
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Change of guard ceremony held at Allama Iqbal’s mausoleum on Pakistan Day

Urdu Point 23 Mar 2025
<p>LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Mar, 2025) The nation is celebrating Pakistan Day with traditional zeal and enthusiasm, marking the historic resolution passed on March 23, ...
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Livvy Dunne and her LSU teammates celebrate major gymnastics title despite social media star's absence ...

The Daily Mail 23 Mar 2025
Livvy Dunne celebrated winning the SEC gymnastics championships with her LSU teammates despite the social-media sensation not making her anticipated return to action ... The LSU star smiles and does a finger-gun salute to the camera ... Read More ... .
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