Anaccession day is usually the anniversary of the date on which a monarch or executive takes office. The earliest records of accession celebrations date from the reign ofEmperor Kanmu of Japan (r. 781–806), and the custom is now observed in many nations.
In Belgium there are local celebrations of the reigning monarch's accession, but the anniversary of the accession of the first king of modern Belgium,Leopold I, on 21 July 1831, is celebrated as a full national holiday, known as theBelgian National Day.[1]
Accession Day in India'sJammu and Kashmir commemorates the day in 1947 when the area joined theDominion of India. It is a state holiday commemorating 26 October 1947, whenMaharaja Hari Singh signed off theInstrument of Accession, in whichJammu and Kashmir joined theDominion of India. This was part of theseries of events in 1947 by which rule theBritish Raj was converted into the two new independent Dominions of India and Pakistan, the latter having two territories separated by the whole of northern India. As a Hindu ruler of a state with both Hindu and Muslim subjects, the Maharaja's decision was crucial.
Festivities of the day include holding rallies, lightingfirecrackers, singingIndia's national anthem, and raising theflag of India.[2][3][4]
The present accession day of theMoroccan monarch is on 30 July, the date in 1999 when KingMohammed VI was enthroned following the death of his father. The day is marked by several official and civilian celebrations, including a televised speech from the king.
Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) was, during the reign of QueenBeatrix, celebrated on 30 April, the date of her accession in 1980 upon the abdication of her mother, Queen Juliana, whose birthday fell on 30 April). Beatrix abdicated on Koninginnedag 2013, which led to the accession of KingWillem-Alexander. As a result, the holiday became known as Koningsdag (King's Day) from 2014 and the celebration was moved three days ahead to 27 April, to instead mark the birthday of Willem-Alexander.
TheUnited Arab Emirates is unusual in celebrating the accession of its president, although the president is elected from amongst the seven hereditaryemirs (ruling princes) of the constituent states of the UAE, and is therefore also a hereditary and monarchical leader. Accession Day is a national holiday in the UAE.[5]
The custom of marking this day was inaugurated during the reign ofQueen Elizabeth I of England in celebration of her restoration ofProtestantism as the state religion.[6] Elizabeth's accession day was celebrated in England during her reign and also, according to the 19th-century historianThomas Lathbury, during the reigns of her successors.[7] A "Form of Prayer and Thanksgiving" to be used in churches on the anniversary of the queen's accession was published in 1576 and used until 1602.
In 1568, the tenth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's accession was marked with the ringing of bells and 17 November became known as "Queen Elizabeth's Day" or "Queene's Day".[8] As her reign progressed, it was celebrated with increased fervour and, long after her death, it continued to be observed as a day of Protestant rejoicing and expression of anti-Catholic feeling. The observances included triumphal parades and processions, sermons against populism and the burning of the Pope in effigy.[8] After theGreat Fire of London (1666), "these rejoicings were converted into a satiricalsaturnalia of the most turbulent kind"; the greatest excesses occurred in the years 1679–81 when wealthy members of political clubs paid for processions and bonfires to arouse the populace to political fervour.[8] The inhabitants ofBerry Pomeroy in southDevon reinstated the tradition of Queene's Day in 2005 with a special church service and bonfire.[9]
On the accession ofKing James I of England, a form of prayer and thanksgiving was issued for use in all churches "upon his entry to this kingdom".[10] In 1625, a new service was issued which was sanctioned byConvocation in 1640 but set aside by Parliament at theRestoration when certain parts of it were included in the special service for 29 May. WhenKing James II acceded the throne, he ordered the preparation of a special form of prayer and thanksgiving for the anniversary of his accession day and a revised version of the old service was prepared and set forth by authority in 1685. The form of words "the day on which His Majesty began his happy reign" was first used in this service and has been retained ever since. After falling out of use during the reigns ofWilliam III andMary II, the service was revised and used again during the reign ofQueen Anne.[11] KingGeorge V's accession day (r. 1910–36) was 6 May.[12] KingGeorge VI's (r. 1936–1952) was on 11 December.[13] QueenElizabeth II's (r. 1952–2022) was on 6 February.
The present monarch,Charles III's, accession day is 8 September. Accession day is observed in the United Kingdom by the flying of specific flags and variousofficial functions. In London, aRoyal Salute is fired by the guns of theKing's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery inGreen Park and by theHonourable Artillery Company at theTower of London.[14] Salutes are also fired atWoolwich,Colchester,Edinburgh Castle,Stirling Castle,Cardiff,Belfast,York,Portsmouth,Plymouth andDover Castle.[15]
Special services are required bycanon in all cathedrals, churches, and chapels of theChurch of England. TheBook of Common Prayer provides options for a stand-alone Accession Day service, or for specialpropers by which any or all of the services of Matins, Evensong and Holy Communion may be altered for the day.[16] The Church's more recent prayer bookCommon Worship does not provide a full form of service, but refers the user to the Book of Common Prayer; it does, however, provide propers for the Eucharist on Accession Day.[17] Although not a legal requirement, special services are also held in some churches of other denominations.Divine Worship: The Missal provides the followingCollect for use at Masses,Mattins, andEvensong in the CatholicPersonal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham:
O GOD, who providest for thy people by thy power, and rulest over them in love: vouchsafe so to bless thy Servant our King (Queen); that under him (her) this nation may be wisely governed, and grant that he (she) being devoted to thee with his (her) whole heart, and persevering in good works unto the end, may, by thy guidance, come to thine everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
The Vatican counts theAnniversario dell'Elezione del Santo Padre, or the anniversary of theelection of the reigning pontiff, among its statutory public holidays. Since 2026, the city-state has observed this holiday on 8 May, the anniversary ofPope Leo XIV's election in 2025.
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