May I ask how all those knightly salutes, nobleman's salutes and other ceremonial movements are done in the West?

Knights, as a special social class, must distinguish themselves from other classes by their special etiquette. In particular, the ceremonial part of the etiquette has a very important position in the chivalric system. As the ritual is a reflection of social concepts, the dominant thought in medieval Western Europe is Christianity, so in the knight etiquette and the concept of chivalry has left a deep Christian imprint.

(I) Baptismal Ceremony of the Knight's Son

According to the feudal legal tradition, knighthood was inheritable. Therefore, the son of a knight, especially the eldest son, was qualified as a candidate for knighthood at birth, and the baptismal ceremony of the son of a knight at his first birth was formed. The ceremony was generally divided into three processes. Secular Baptism. Immediately after the birth of a knight's son, the infant is bathed at the command of his father, out of a desire to remind the father of the oath he took as a candidate for knighthood long ago. After the bath, the infant is bound and wrapped with his hands on either side of his body and his legs together, and is covered with a splendid robe. Religious Baptism. This baptism not only makes the infant a Christian, but, more importantly, "when he is taken up from the sacred baptismal dish, he not only becomes a Christian, but has become a Christian knight in his heart ." (Note: Brayford B. Bruton, Medieval Knights and Chivalry, p. 297.) Religious baptisms were followed by festivities that included such things as singing, dancing, banquets, parades, etc., and immediate jousting tournaments were often held for the newborn babies of knights, and those attending the events often bestowed gifts on the infant.

(2) Knight's Squire Ceremony

A young man who aspires to become a knight holds a ceremony at the age of 14 to acquire the status of a knight's squire. A Knight's Squire is the attendant of a powerful Knight, and is always accompanied by the master Knight, both in times of war and in times of peace. In fact, according to the degree of intimacy with the master and the size of his duties, squires are divided into different ranks. They are: valet, ceremonial valet, table valet, cocktail valet, dinner valet, and so on. The ceremony for a Knight's Squire to become a Knight's Squire generally goes like this: the boy is led by his father to the priest, who holds a small sacred candle in each of their hands. The priest prays and blesses the sword and sash that will be in the sole possession of the boy. He is then fitted with the sword, which symbolizes the status of a knight squire.

(C) Knight Granting Ceremony

The Knight Granting Ceremony is a ceremony to confirm knighthood. Throughout the medieval era, it was the most important moment in the life of every knight. The knighting ceremony has already been discussed in some detail, so I will not repeat it here. It should be pointed out that, in addition to some Christian festivals, pilgrimages, or major events in noble families, there are two other cases of the ceremony: one is before or after a battle, which was not uncommon in the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1337, for example, when the Anglo-French War was about to break out, the English held an investiture ceremony for 20 knights on March 11th. The second was the king or a great feudal lord in the course of a journey. The first record of this occurred on September 31, 1354, when Charles IV knighted Francis. At that time, the Kaiser rode on his horse, clapped his hand on Francis' neck and said, "Become a good knight and be loyal to the empire." Two noblemen of Charles' retinue then placed spurs on him (Note: Richard Barber, Knights and Chivalry, pp. 41, 42.) .

If the various rituals of knighthood are part of the normative aspects of chivalry, chivalric etiquette is part of the lived aspects of chivalry, which involves the knight's clothing, food, and shelter. For example, a knight should dress neatly and keep his manners in front of lords and noblewomen; he should not scratch his body or lean against a pillar when standing; he should not sit down until he is told to do so, and a knight's squire is not allowed to take a seat with a knight ***, even if the knight is his father; he should not dip his meat into the salt in the salt dish, wipe his nose on the tablecloth, or pick his teeth with his pocketknife"; when traveling, he should not "dip his meat in the salt in the salt dish, wipe his nose on the tablecloth, or pick his teeth with a pocketknife"; and he should not "pick his teeth in the tablecloth". When traveling, "walk nobly and solemnly, throw no branches or stones at animals, call no dogs to bite, and be courteous to others"; and in general, "attend the religious services of the churches, be chivalrous to the women, and obey your master's commands" (N.B.). " (Note: Joseph R. Strayer, Dictionary of the Middle Ages, New York, 1982 edition, pp. 660, 661.) etc. Although the historical material dealing with this aspect is even more vague and fragmentary, we can still get a glimpse of the Western rites in recent times. It can be seen that although the rituals and rites of the knights had secular components, what people experienced was more of a Christian flavor. Religiosity permeated the life of knights and greatly influenced the ideology of the knightly class. "One cannot be a knight without being a Christian and without being baptized"; "Without faith, you cannot fulfill the duties of a knight well" (Note: Leon Gautier, Chivalry. Chivalry), New York 1968 edition, p. 10). .

Religious fervor, therefore, prevailed during the period of chivalry's prevalence, and knights were given the name of Christian knights. A number of chivalric flowers such as the Teutonic Knights, the Knights of the Hospital, and the Knights Templar, who were at one time subordinate to the Pope, became models of chivalry. In short, by sorting out the tangible institutional level, the author believes that medieval Western European chivalry refers to the general term for the organizational system, legal norms, moral code, habits of life, and many other aspects specific to the chivalric class based on military cognacs, characterized by knightly service, with Christianity as the guiding ideology, and small and medium-sized feudal lords' domination as the essence of the chivalric class.