Berlin, 2 December 2021 (dpa/MIA) - The German military will bid farewell to Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday with a parade to pay tribute to her 16 years in power. The outgoing head of government will give a short speech before the ceremony, which is scheduled to begin at 7.30 pm (1830 GMT). Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there will be no reception and a much smaller number of guests than usual. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected to be the guest of honour, accompanied by his wife Elke Buedenbender. Merkel has chosen Hildegard Knef's "Fuer mich soll's rote Rosen regnen" (Let it rain red roses for me) as a musical interlude for her farewell. In addition to the hymn "Grosser Gott, wir loben Dich" (Great God, we praise you), the Bundeswehr staff music corps will also play the song "Du hast den Farbfilm vergessen" (You forgot the colour film), with which the punk singer Nina Hagen had a hit in the former East Germany in 1974. A parade of this kind is considered the highest honour that the German armed forces can bestow on a civilian. The custom is used to honour not only chancellors, but also presidents and defence ministers at their farewell ceremonies. Its origins go back to the 16th century. The ceremony always takes place in the evening and consists of a procession, several pieces of music - including the national anthem - and the march out.