Do you have an interest in knowing more about why some people are given city keys? If you desire to learn more about then you can simply continuing reading so that you get your answer to that question.
For a start let us look more about the history of this practice of giving keys to some people in the cities. You see in olden days cities are protected by walls. The walls ensured the safety of those who are living behind these walls. The walls prevented the barbarians from simply attacking cities and prevented people who have contagious illnesses to enter the city as well. In these times there are certain people who have free access to a city. Having a key to the city allowed persons during this time to be able to come and go as they please in the city. Those who have been given this privilege include the visiting officials, free men and the military. The free man is one that is not bound by slavery. Understandably, those who are slaves do not have access to the key because they are owned by masters.
In the modern world that we are in now, city walls do not anymore have such great value. But the tradition of given a key to someone still continues on. But does this key convey any power or privilege to the one that is being given it now like what it used to do? That is not the case but what is given to those who are given it is honor from the city. That is why if you will learn more about this tradition you will discover that a lot of celebrities are given keys to the cities. These celebrities are typically given the keys to the cities to their hometown as that town’s way of saying that they are most welcome to come and go as they please in this place.
There are other people who are conferred this honor and those are the people who are classified as special dignitaries or people who done something remarkable. An example of the latter would be a pilot who was able to land safely the plane he was flying even there was an obstacle encountered. As a result no one died who was aboard that plane. And actually the flight attendants were also handed the city keys.
But if you search more about you will be able to learn that this tradition is often used as a publicity stint. Typically the mayor of the town would like for his town to be recognized as related to a famous celebrity.
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