Republican Donald J. Trump will be sworn in Friday as the 45th president of the United States. One expert says the Inauguration ceremony is a tradition steeped in political history and serves as an important symbol of democracy-in-action.

According to assistant professor of political science at Kansas State University, Nathaniel Birkhead, the inauguration is a period of peaceful transition of power between an outgoing administration and an incoming administration.

“The idea is that there is a consistency there and we still believe in the system, and the system is upheld,” Birkhead said. “Even when one person loses, they don’t use the system to downplay the other side, and that’s a really important part.”

The Inauguration ceremony also provides an opportunity for the incoming President to set the tone for how they’ll lead the country. Another tradition that’s less associated with Inauguration Day is the act of protesting. Presidents Franklin Pierce, Woodrow Wilson, George W. Bush and Barack Obama faced protests on Inauguration Day. Birkhead says that protesting is an important part of American politics.

“Tea party protesters were influential and had a huge impact on American electoral politics going forward, and they were not suppressed,” he said.

“And so it will be interesting to see, as long as the protesters are doing so peacefully, to see that they are allowed their space to have their say.”

Trump will recite the oath of office at noon Eastern – 11 a.m. Central time – Friday. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath using president Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration Bible, as well as the Bible Trump’s mother gave him at his Sunday school graduation in 1955. Afterward, Trump will deliver his inaugural address.

For a complete listing of inaugural events, and the official inaugural program, click here.