Happy Glorious 12th of July!
Also known as Orangeman’s Day, July 12th used to be a huge celebration in Canada, and was a large part of our history. It marks the day when Protestant King William III of Orange (who was also Dutch and ironically had the Pope’s blessing) defeated his Catholic uncle King James II on the banks of the River Boyne in Ireland in 1690. Traditional activities include marches and parades, huge bonfires and wearing orange. The ramifications of that victory—or defeat, depending of how you see it, are hotly debated unto this day. But that should not allow us to totally forget about this day’s long place in our history. One third of Ontario men were members of the Orange Order at one time. Newfoundland had the second highest percentage of Orangemen outside of Northern Ireland itself, back when LOL stood for “Loyal Orange Lodge.” I only know that our country was stronger and still vital when these groups were thriving. Its detractors will call it an antiquated stronghold of “bigotry,” but it is a huge part of Canadian history, and I love that part of our history. It’s mine and I’m aware of my connections to it, and no detractor will detour me from it, and if it’s in your heritage you shouldn’t let anything detour you from it either. No Surrender!
Also known as Orangeman’s Day, July 12th used to be a huge celebration in Canada, and was a large part of our history. It marks the day when Protestant King William III of Orange (who was also Dutch and ironically had the Pope’s blessing) defeated his Catholic uncle King James II on the banks of the River Boyne in Ireland in 1690. Traditional activities include marches and parades, huge bonfires and wearing orange. The ramifications of that victory—or defeat, depending of how you see it, are hotly debated unto this day. But that should not allow us to totally forget about this day’s long place in our history. One third of Ontario men were members of the Orange Order at one time. Newfoundland had the second highest percentage of Orangemen outside of Northern Ireland itself, back when LOL stood for “Loyal Orange Lodge.” I only know that our country was stronger and still vital when these groups were thriving. Its detractors will call it an antiquated stronghold of “bigotry,” but it is a huge part of Canadian history, and I love that part of our history. It’s mine and I’m aware of my connections to it, and no detractor will detour me from it, and if it’s in your heritage you shouldn’t let anything detour you from it either. No Surrender!