Editing Mace (bludgeon) (section)

==Ceremonial use==
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Maces have had a role in ceremonial practices over time, including some still in use today.

===Parliamentary maces===

[[File:RoyalSocMace20040420.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Mace of the [[Royal Society]], granted by [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]]]

The [[ceremonial mace]] is a short, richly ornamented staff often made of silver, the upper part of which is furnished with a knob or other head-piece and decorated with a coat of arms. The ceremonial mace was commonly borne before eminent [[Ecclesiology|ecclesiastical corporations]], [[magistrates]], and academic bodies as a mark and symbol of jurisdiction.

Ceremonial maces are important in many [[parliament]]s following the [[Westminster system]]. They are carried in by the [[Sergeant-at-Arms|sergeant-at-arms]] or some other mace-bearers and displayed on the clerks' table while parliament is in session to show that a parliament is fully constituted. They are removed when the session ends. The mace is also removed from the table when a new [[Speaker (politics)|speaker]] is being elected to show that parliament is not ready to conduct business.

===Ecclesiastical maces===
Maces may also be carried before clergy members in church processions, although in the case of the Roman Catholic pope and cardinals, they have largely been replaced with [[processional cross]]es.

===Parade maces===
[[File:Buława Rydza-Śmigłego.JPG|thumb|[[Marshal of Poland]] mace]]
Maces are also used as a parade item, rather than a tool of war, notably in military bands. Specific movements of the mace from the [[Drum major (military)|drum major]] will signal specific orders to the band they lead. The mace can signal anything from a step-off to a halt, from the commencement of playing to the cut off.

===University maces===
[[File:Ustmuseummemmorabilia13.JPG|thumb|Ceremonial maces of the Rector Magnificus of the [[University of Santo Tomas]] in Manila, Philippines.]]
University maces are employed in a manner similar to parliamentary maces. They symbolize the authority and independence of a chartered university and the authority vested in the [[provost (education)|provost]]. They are typically carried in at the beginning of a convocation ceremony and are often less than half a meter high.