Inauguration Day     

    Inauguration Day is the day in which the President of the United States is sworn into office. It is held every four years. Originally, it was held on March 4, but the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution changed it to its current date of January 20th. Not only is the President sworn into office on this day at noon, but the Vice President is as well. 
     The United States armed forces have participated in the inaugural day ceremonies ever since the inauguration of George Washington, the first President of the United States. They do this because the President is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Since the first inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953, that participation has been coordinated by the Armed Force Inaugural Committee (Now known as the Joint Task Force- Armed forces Inaugural Committee).
     The oath of office, which the President must take in order to be sworn in, is traditionally administered by the Chief Justice of the United States. It is normally done on the steps of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. After the oath, the President gives his inaugural address to the nation, setting the tone for a new administration. Should January 20 be a Sunday, the President is usually administered the oath of office in a private ceremony on that day, followed by a public ceremony the following day. The Vice President is traditionally sworn into office a few minutes before the president.
     Ever since 1953, the United States Congress has held a luncheon at which the President and Vice President are guests of honor. It is held immediately after the inaugural ceremony. It is the only time, other than at the State of the Union addresses and Red Mass, that the President, Vice president, and both houses of congress come together in the same locale.   
     Since Thomas Jefferson's second inaugural on March 4, 1805, it has become tradition for the president to parade down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House. The only president not to parade down Pennsylvania Avenue was Ronald Reagan. He paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue during his first inauguration, in 1981, amidst the joyous news just minutes into his term that the American hostages held in Iran for more than a year had been released, but didn't do so in 1985 because freezing cold temperatures, made dangerous by high winds, cancelled the parade. In 1977, Jimmy Carter started a new tradition by walking from the Capitol to the White House, although for security reasons, subsequent presidents have only walked a part of the way.
    The inaugural celebrations usually lasts 10 days, from 5 days before the inauguration to 5 days after. However, in 1973, the celebrations marking Richard Nixon's second inauguration were disrupted by the death and state funeral of Lyndon Johnson. 
     Inauguration Day has a promise of hope; it brings hope that the new President and administration will bring positive ideas and actions to the country and to the World.