What do people do?
In many towns in Northern Ireland, marches or walks are held by organizations with a Protestant orientation. The marching season lasts from April until August but the Glorious Twelfth (of July), or Orangemen's Day, is particularly important. Many marches are organized by Lodges of the Orange Order and are accompanied by a marching band.
Participants in the walks, or marches, often wear dark suits, although they may remove their jackets if it is hot. Traditionally, they also wore black bowler hats and white gloves, although these are not as common now. The participants also wear collarettes. This type of collarette is made from a long thin piece of cloth, which is draped around the neck of the wearer and joined to form a “V” shape at the front. Many collarettes are made from orange cloth, although there may be other colors. The collarettes bear the number of the lodge that the wearer belongs to and a range of badges showing the person’s positions in or degrees from the lodge.
Many lodges carry at least one flag during the marches. This is normally the Union Flag, sometimes known as the Union Jack, although some carry Scottish, Ulster or Orange Order flags. Many lodges also carry one or more banners. These display the name and number of the lodge on one side. The other side often displays images of William of Orange, deceased lodge members, local landmarks or the bible with a crown.
