Overview

• The Großer Zapfenstreich, Germany's highest military ceremonial honor, is scheduled for May 5 at the Defense Ministry's Paradeplatz in Berlin.
• Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz will select three musical pieces for the ceremony, though his choices have not yet been announced.
• The tradition, dating back to the 16th century, includes a torch-lit procession, music, the national anthem, and a formal march-off.
• Scholz's predecessor, Angela Merkel, personalized her 2021 ceremony with selections including Hildegard Knef's 'Für mich soll's rote Rosen regnen.'
• Friedrich Merz, leader of the CDU, is set to be voted in as Germany's next chancellor by the Bundestag on May 6, following the military tribute.