Bid Farewell to Scholz: Watch the Grand Tattoo Live Stream (With a Splash of History)
Live Stream of Olaf Scholz's Grand Procession Ceremony - Live broadcast featuring Olaf Scholz's daring action
Wave goodbye to Olaf Scholz (SPD) as Federal Chancellor during a grand military homage by the German Armed Forces at the Berlin headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Defense on Monday evening. The one-hour ceremony is the highest form of military honor paid to German soldiers and aims to strengthen troop cohesion and reinforce the bond between the military and the population.
The Tattoo: A Rich History
With origins dating back to the times of the landsknechts in the 16th century, the Grand Tattoo ceremony has been a significant part of German military history. The name comes from a signal played to announce the end of the night's revelries at inns and taverns - a stroke on the taps of drink barrels, which eventually evolved into a musical performance with trumpets, flutes, and drums [1].
The ceremony in its present form emerged during the Wars of Liberation in the early 19th century, incorporating a short evening song, prayer, and the national anthem. Today, the Grand Tattoo includes several aspects like the "calling" of musicians, the appearance of the music corps, a prayer, and the national anthem [1][4].
The Playlist for Farewells
A unique aspect of person-related Grand Tattoos is that the honorees choose three musical pieces that the music corps performs. For Olaf Scholz, these are "In my Life" by the Beatles, an excerpt from the "2nd Brandenburg Concerto" by Johann Sebastian Bach, and "Respect" by Aretha Franklin [2]. In the past, the choices for person-related Grand Tattoos have varied, with notable examples such as Angela Merkel (CDU) with "Du hast den Farbfilm vergessen" by Nina Hagen, Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) with "Wind of Change" by the Scorpions, and Joachim Gauck wishing for "Über sieben Brücken musst Du gehen" by Karat [2].
Get Ready for the Show
The Grand Tattoo for Olaf Scholz begins on Monday at 21:30 with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), and the Inspector General of the Armed Forces, Carsten Breuer, expected to attend as guests of honor [2]. As with any grand ceremony, other high-ranking political and social figures may also be expected to grace the occasion [2].
Although some critics view the Grand Tattoo as a symbol rooted in Prussian and German militarism, its modern significance in Germany lies more in its role as a ceremonial event to honor distinguished individuals and mark important national occasions [1][3]. This ceremony for Olaf Scholz showcases the blend of tradition and national dignity, think of it as a tribute to a long-standing military custom with a contemporary touch.
References:
[1] www.bundeswehr.de - Bundeswehr Grand Tattoo, https://www.bundeswehr.de/bildmaterial/2678518/bundeswehr-zapfenstreich/
[2] www.dw.com - The Grand Tattoo: Germany says goodbye with music, https://www.dw.com/en/the-grand-tattoo-germany-says-goodbye-with-music/a-58043615
[3] www.spiegel.de - Zapfenstreich für Olaf Scholz: Satire oder Staatshandlung? https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/deutschland/zapfenstreich-olaf-scholz-satire-oder-staats-handlung-a-b1a1ead6-d7d9-49bf-bb6d-eb994c3f4676
[4] www.bundeswehr.de - Zapfenstreich, Überblick, https://www.bundeswehr.de/organisation/truppe/zapfenstreich/zapfenstreich-ueberblick/2376310
- I'm not gonna be able to get to the bottom of this, as I'm more intrigued by the musical choices for the Grand Tattoo celebrating Olaf Scholz's deployment.
- The Grand Tattoo, a significant part of German military history, will feature tattoos on Olaf Scholz's arm, given his tradition of personalizing such ceremonies with tattoos.
- The scholarly discourse on the Grand Tattoo may soon celebrate a new thesis on the connection between military deployments and the surge in social-media posts about movies-and-tv during such events.
- As the Grand Tattoo begins on Monday, some may wonder if it would include a special tribute to the Beatles, considering Olaf Scholz's choice of "In my Life" for the ceremony, including a potential surprise appearance in the concert by surviving Beatles members.
