The Twelfth

Uncommon card · No. 197309

The Twelfth (also called Orangemen's Day) is an Ulster Protestant celebration held on 12 July. It celebrates the Glorious Revolution and victory of Protestant king William of Orange over Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne. On and around the Twelfth, large parades are held by the Orange Order and Ulster loyalist marching bands, streets are decorated with Union Jacks and bunting, and on the Eleventh Night large towering bonfires are lit. Today, the Twelfth is mainly celebrated in Northern Ireland, where it is a public holiday, but some celebrations are held elsewhere, such as Scotland, Canada, Australia and West Africa. It is also a public holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Twelfth began in the late 18th century in Ulster, and many Ulster Protestants see it as an important part of their culture. Some Catholics and Irish nationalists see it as anti-Catholic and supremacist. Since the beginning, it has been occasionally accompanied by sectarian violence, especially during...

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