Michelle and Barack Obama walk with George W. Bush and wife, Laura, on Inauguration Day 2009
A president-elect traditionally meets with the current president at the White House on the morning of the inauguration. They go together to the swearing-in. But, of course, Barack Obama is already in office.
On Monday morning, Mr. Obama and his family will attend a religious service at St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington. The church says this will be the 11th time it has held such a service before a president's inauguration.
After the event, Mister Obama and his family travel to the Capitol building for the swearing-in ceremony. Members of Congress and the Supreme Court gather there as well. So do administration officials of the former and future administration.
The swearing-in ceremony takes place on the steps of the Capitol. The Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, John Roberts, will administer the swearing-in as he did for Mr. Obama's first term. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather on the grounds and nearby for the event.
Ben Ginsburg is a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He says the Chief Justice also supplies important symbolism to the event.
"This new individual is exercising power is consistent with the Constitution of the United States, the laws of the United States, the wisdom and hopes of the framers of our Constitution."
The president takes the oath of office with his hand on a Bible. This year Mister Obama will use books once owned by two of his heroes, President Abraham Lincoln and former civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
The president will speak to the American people after the swearing-in. Then there is a major parade, of which the president and family are a part, from the Capitol to the White House. The military services, school children, bands from around the country and all kinds of other groups are involved.
Later, many inaugural balls will be held to celebrate the new president. Two of the parties this year are official government events. But, many other large balls will take place Monday night. And many Americans will hold parties at their own homes, as well.
For more about the presidential inauguration listen Monday to the Special English program THIS IS AMERICA.
Origami Therapy
Origami is the Japanese art of folding a piece of paper. The folded paper can be made to look like anything -- a bird or a boat, a box, a flower or even a face. Some people do origami as a way to ease the day's tensions. Others are serious artists. But Ken Fowler of Colorado used origami to help himself recover from a mental illness and launch a new career.
Ken Fowler teaches origami to an interested student in Boulder, Colorado