Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by
regiments of the
British and
Commonwealth armies. It has been a tradition of British
infantry regiments since the 17th century, although the roots go back much earlier. On battlefields, a regiment's
colours, or flags, were used as rallying points. Consequently, regiments would have their
ensigns slowly march with their colours between the soldiers' ranks to enable soldiers to recognise their regiments' colours.