The Ceremonial Guard Battalion (), also known as the Honour Battalion () is a military unit of the Macedonian Military. The mission of the Ceremonial Guard Battalion is to perform military honors for all events regulated by the rules of engagement in ARNM, as well as maintaining the combat readiness of the Ceremonial Guard Battalion units at the highest level.

History

After the departure of Yugoslav People Army's from Macedonia, the ''Ceremonial Guard Battalion'' became an official regiment on March 26, 1992, as part of the ''First Guard Brigade''. On July 22, 2002, the ''Honour and Serving Guards Battalion'' was designated as the main guard of honour for Macedonia. On March 1, 2006, it was renamed as the ''Honour and Serving Battalion''. It has officially been entitled the Ceremonial Guard Battalion since April 1, 2012. The battalion provided honours for the

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

s of President

Boris Trajkovski Boris Trajkovski ( GCMG; , pronounced ; 25 June 1956 – 26 February 2004) was a Macedonian politician who served as the President of Macedonia from 1999 until his death in 2004 in a plane crash. Early life Trajkovski was born on 25 June 195 ...

and songwriter

Toše Proeski Todor "Toše" Proeski (, ; 25 January 1981 – 16 October 2007) was a Macedonian singer and songwriter. Considered a top act of the local Music of North Macedonia, Macedonian and Balkan music, Balkan music scene, Proeski's music was popular acro ...

Structure

* Battalion Command ** Battalion Commander * Battalion Headquarters * Administration Company * Guard Company ** Guard Platoon ** Guard Platoon ** Guard Platoon ** Guard Platoon * Guard Company ** Guard Platoon ** Guard Platoon ** Guard Platoon ** Guard Platoon *

Military Band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

Military Band

The

() is a professional and unique unit inside the battalion, engaging in its duties by performing at significant protocol events organized by the army and the federal government. It was founded in 1944 in the city of

Bitola Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...

, as part of the 7th Macedonian Drill Brigade. After the creation of the

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

(SFRY), the band worked in the ranks of the Third Army Area of the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

, based in Skopje. After independence, the band was reformed to represent the ARM in its entirety, acting as a musical ambassador. It has performed in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, and used foreign compositions made by famous composers such as

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...

Johann Strauss Johann Baptist Strauss II (; ; 25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas as well as a violinist. He compose ...

and

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

Traditions

The members of the honour guard battalion performs the well-known drills such as their trademark "Egzircir" routine.

Unit Day

11 November, is known as the Day of the Unit. It was chosen in honour of the traditions of the First Macedonian Kosovo Shock Brigade of the

National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Macedonia The Macedonian Partisans, officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Macedonia, was a communist and anti-fascist resistance movement formed in occupied Yugoslavia which was active in the World War II in Yugoslav Macedon ...

, which was established on this date in 1943 in the village of Slivovo.

Activities

A contingent from one of the companies took part in the

Great Union Day Great Union Day (; also called Unification Day or National Day) is a Romanian national holiday celebrated on 1 December to mark the 1918 Great Union (the unification of Transylvania, Bassarabia, and Bukovina with the Kingdom of Romania). The ...

military parade A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as Drill team, drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

in 2019. Within the visit, members of the Honor Guard Battalion met with the Ambassador of North Macedonia to Romania, Gabriel Atanasov.

Uniform

The Macedonian Ministry of Defence designe
new uniforms
for the battalion in 2010. The new uniform is based on the uniform of the

Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; ; ), was a secret revolutionary society founded in the Ottoman territories in Europe, that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1893 in Salonica, it initia ...

(IMRO) and specifically the uniform of revolutionary

Ilyo Voyvoda Iliya Markov (, , ; May 28, 1805 – April 17, 1898), known as Ilyo Voyvoda or Dedo Iljo Maleshevski, was a Bulgarian revolutionary from the region of Macedonia, who is considered a national hero in both Bulgaria and North Macedonia. He was the ...

.Презентирани нови гардиски униформи- микс на Армани и дедо Иљо Малешевски
accessed 8 July 2015.

References

{{Commons category-inline, Ceremonial Guard Battalion Military units and formations of North Macedonia Military units and formations established in 2002 Guards of honour