State dinner

A state banquet is an official banquet hosted by the head of state in his or her official residence for another head of state, or sometimes head of government, and other guests. Usually as part of a state visit or diplomatic conference, it is held to celebrate diplomatic ties between the host and guest countries. Depending on time of the day, it may be referred to as a state dinner or state lunch. The size varies, but the numbers of diners may run into the hundreds.

In the Western world, state banquet protocol traditionally prescribe formal wear white tie or morning dress events that comprise military honor guards, a four or five course meal, musical entertainment, and ball room dancing. There are normally short speeches and toasts made by the host and principal guest.

History

Several centuries ago the difficulties of travel and concerns over security made encounters between reigning monarchs, the main type of head of state, much less frequent, and if they took place at a place with sufficient facilities they were generally celebrated with an especially lavish feast in the prevailing style. The Banquet of the Five Kings in London in 1363 was an exceptional event, bringing together the kings of England, Scotland, France, Denmark and Cyprus. As at lesser dinners at court, the number of diners was often large, but the most important sat at a separate table, very often raised on a dais as a high table, and probably ate different food. Many state banquets celebrated royal weddings, which often had a foreign princess as the bride, and were major diplomatic events. The coronation feast was also especially lavish. During the Renaissance Italy tended to set the style for the rest of Europe, but when the format began to become standard in Europe during the Baroque era, it was the French court of Louis XIV that set the standards in most respects.

A distinct feature of Ancien Regime state banquets, like the most formal style of normal royal meals, was that the number of actual diners sitting down to eat was very small, and often they were all royal, but they were surrounded by a huge crowd of courtiers who just watched, sometimes being addressed by someone at the table. Otherwise the watchers were supposed to remain silent, as at the theatre. Often the bystanders on the floor of the room were all male, with the ladies of the court watching from galleries above. A single table was favoured, often "U"-shaped, with the diners generally all sitting on the outside, facing into the "U", the centre of which was used by those waiting upon the table. Highly formalized meals eaten in public by monarchs and their families were a feature of most monarchies, sometimes just a few times a year, but in France mostly more often. The event had a theatrical aspect, and served as a demonstration of rank and power. This style of dining disappeared in France at the French Revolution, only to reappear under Napoleon, at least as formal as before.

The typical modern style of state banquets, with a large number of guests, and only the waiting staff standing, was introduced by the soon-to-be King Louis Philippe I of France. When his son and heir married in May 1830, he invited 500 people to a banquet at the Chateau de Versailles, despite (or because of) the brewing constitutional crisis that led to the July Revolution weeks later, which made him king. The guests at the meal represented several types of important people rather than just courtiers, and this remains usually the case at modern banquets. Typically, but no longer in the United States, there is a single very large table, often "U" or "E" shaped, with the host and most important guests together, and other guests stretching away at right-angles to them.

By country

India

In India, state banquets are held for foreign heads of state and government at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi and are hosted by the President of India. Over one hundred guests usually attend state banquets, including members of the Government of India such as the Vice-President of India, the Prime Minister of India, and prominent members of the ruling
party. Indian and foreign business leaders also attend.

At the beginning of a state banquet, a foreign head of state is greeted by the president in the North Drawing Room. A tent constructed in the Mughal Garden within the environs of the presidential palace is the outdoor setting for state banquets. During the evening, the gardens are lit up with earthen diyas, string lights, and decorated with flowers and rangoli that become a scene for entertainment. After a performance by Rajasthani singers, Indian percussion instruments like the mridangam, tabla, ghatam and khanjeera, as well as India's diverse classical dances in which Bharatnatyam, Odissi

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