Republic Day 2019: Here is all you need to know about this year's celebration

Republic Day 2019: Ramaphosa will be the second President of South Africa after Nelson Mandela to be the Chief Guest at Republic Day. It will be his first visit to India as head of state.

Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel march in formation during a pre-dawn rehearsal for the forthcoming Republic Day parade on Rajpath in New Delhi on December 29, 2018. - India will celebrate its 70th Republic Day on January 26. (Photo by Prakash SINGH / AFP)

New Delhi: On 26 January 2019, India will celebrate 70 years of her republic. Like every year, a magnificent celebration is scheduled to be held in the national capital, New Delhi, at the Rajpath before the President of India. Here is all you need to know about this year’s Republic Day: President’s address: President Ram Nath Kovind will make his second Republic Day address this year. Different regiments of the Indian Army in addition to the Navy, and Air Force with their bands will march past in all their finery and official decorations. The President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, will take the salute. Guest of Honour: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa wiil grace the Republic Day celebrations as the guest of honour. He will begin a two-day India visit from Friday. Ramaphosa will be accompanied by First Lady Dr. Tshepo Motsepe, and a high-level delegation including nine ministers, senior officials and a 50-member business contingent, the Ministry of External Affairs said. Ramaphosa will be the second President of South Africa after Nelson Mandela to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day. It will be Ramaphosa's first visit to India as head of state. Duration: "The duration of the Republic Day parade 2019 will be around 90 minutes," the home ministry said. Guests:  On behalf of the Centre, 58 tribal guests from various parts of the country have been invited to witness the celebrations in Delhi. The tribal guests and tableaux artists will call on the president, the vice president, the prime minister and the tribal affairs minister. They will be taken on sightseeing tours in and around the national capital. Event: The event will begin with the laying of wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 22 tableaux of states and central government departments, and performance by school children will mark the parade of this year's Republic Day. Tableaux: Twenty-two tableaux from various states and central government departments on developmental, cultural and historical themes will be part of this year's Republic Day parade. Some of the tableaux on cultural themes will have integrated folk dances, a Home Ministry office memorandum said. Marching and band contingents of the Assam Rifles, Railway Protection Force (RPF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Delhi Police, the famed camel contingent and band team of the Border Security Force (BSF) will be part of the parade along with those of the three armed forces. Armed cover to Gandhi's samadhi to be CISF tableau: The armed cover provided by the CISF to Raj Ghat, the 'samadhi' of Mahatma Gandhi, in the national capital will be showcased in the force's tableau that has been inducted in the Republic Day parade after a gap of 11 years. The float of the central paramilitary force, tasked with securing vital installations like airports and nuclear power installations, will be led by the model of the Raj Ghat followed by the depiction of CISF personnel securing other important facilities across the country. A number of other tableaus will also showcase the life and work of 'bapu' as the country is celebrating his 150th birth anniversary this year. National award winning children:  As many as 26 national award winning children, seated in open jeeps, will also form part of the cultural pageant. Three groups of children from Delhi schools and one group of children from Eastern zone Cultural Centre will be part of the parade. Each group will give a performance of about two minutes in front of the presidential dias at Rajpath. Four helicopters would precede the parade commander. The lead helicopter will carry the national flag and the other three choppers would carry services flags, while the echelon aircraft would shower flower petals.