Orangemen Parades

Marching season in Northern Ireland...historical, controversial, political, religious, cultural, all of the above and for some none of the above. The following is an excerpt from the CAIN website.

For many, [parades] fulfill a social, political, and religious role. The actual number of annual parades has been increasing steadily and substantially over the past 10 years, with 1995 seeing a total of 3,500 parades throughout Northern Ireland (an increase of 43 per cent from 1986). Of this total, 2,581 parades and marches were Loyalist and 302 were Nationalist. The cost of policing these Parades is large, with the policing bill in 1995 having exceeded 2 million pounds, and estimates for 1996 being in excess of 20 million pounds.

Besides being expensive to police, what are the parades all about? I am pondering this question as I recall the biggest parade of the year--the 12th of July. This year the parades were on the 13th, because the 12th fell on a Sunday. The Orange Order observes the Christian Sabbath. The events of the 12th are the most celebrated Ulster Protestant tradition of the year. On the eve of the 12th, bonfires blaze late into the night as a part of the celebrations. Like many holidays in Northern Ireland, it is a commemorative event. Essentially, the Orange Order and many Ulster Protestants are remembering well-known battles such as the Boyne, Somme, and Seige of Derry. Or maybe they are just gathering for the craic with their friends and don't really think on the symbols and rituals of the day. However, symbol and ritual appear extensively on the 12th and their role in the tradition bears mentioning.

On this day, the Orangemen who are members of the Orange Order march, often accompanied by flute and drum bands. They wear the orange sashes and sometimes bowler hats and 'left-right-left' behind large flags identifying which lodge they hail from. Limavady, Donegal, Dungiven, Londonderry. The name 'Orange Order' honors William of Orange, the Dutch-born prince who became the Protestant King of Scotland, England and Ireland in the late 1600's. He is famous and celebrated for defeating his enemies (which were quite often, Catholic majority armies) in well-known battles such as the Battle of the Boyne. The Orange Order interesting for many reasons, which I will not explore in this blog. I will simply remark on the day I observed the marches.

I had heard so much about these marches. I was now going to witness the biggest one of the year. I last minute joined some friends (all foreign) and headed to the Fountain in Derry...the only predominantly and strongly self-identified Protestant/Loyalist area left in the Cityside of Derry. The curbstones were freshly painted in blue, red and white (colors of the Union flag) for the occasion. It has been four years since the Orangemen have been permitted to march in Derry.

People were gathered for the festivities and enjoying the food and drink. Walking down the Strand Road I could hear the parades before I could see them. I also knew something was afoot because the riot cars were about and the police had a more visible presence with bigger guns than normal and the rest of the town this side of the Foyle was quieter than normal.

I was personally struck with the mix of political and religious symbols and ritual so that one was the other. The flags depicted battle scenes with King William and/or religious Christian messages like "No cross, No Crown", or "Faith Defenders" with depictions of Christ but also pictures of the Battle of the Boyne, Siege of Derry, etc. I turned to my left and the murals on the walls in the Fountain also displayed similar messages. On a backdrop of orange with the purple star of the Orange Order (which was used to identify Williamite forces), the phrase painted in bold purple declared "In God We Trust." And I couldn't help noticing its proximity to the murals celebrating Loyalist paramilitaries, British army services, and the former police services in Northern Ireland. Made me wonder in whom really the trust was in and what exactly was being entrusted.

I also couldn't help reflecting back to my own country's blend of faith and war. The Bush administrations choice of language around the American "crusade" in the so-called 'war on terror'. Pat Robertson provides a good example of someone who dangerously puts politics and faith to bed together in what I would describe as an unholy matrimony. “The Lord had some very encouraging news for George Bush. What I heard [from God] was that Bush is now positioned to have victory after victory and that his second term is going to be one of triumph, which is pretty strong stuff.” (January 3, 2005, 700 Club) And God Bless America...the same questions enter my mind. Language is important.

As I contemplated this intersection between not just faith and politics but also culture, history and heritage, one of my friends overheard a woman say to her neighbor, "The sun always shines on the righteous." She was serious and it was sunny outside, noteworthy in this part of the world. The flutes, bagpipes, and drum beats surrounded us. Some of the young people were wearing glasses with union flags for the lenses. I thought it was an interesting visual in both the literal and metaphorical sense.

One of the guys who was in my course this year was marching as an Orangeman. He never mentioned that he was a part of the Orange Order and we tried to wave and get his attention but he pretended not to see us and the second time we saw him on his route back, he was carrying a flag and used it to partially obstruct our view of him. I wondered why? We didn't know. But it added to the strangeness and impression of the experience for me.

A friend of mine goes the 12th nearly every year, as most Ulster Protestants do. She goes to see family and friends, which maybe she only sees on that occasion every year. Her father is an Orangeman and for her it was a time for friends, a time for family and food and the 'craic.' Tradition, history, culture, religion...more of one to one and more of another to another. From an outsider's perspective, I found it difficult to sort out my own reactions and thoughts regarding the events and the symbols and the various meanings attached to the day.

Rituals and symbols are powerful and they are an important expression of our identities. The parades of Northern Ireland are a really great example of how these all interplay.