|
Orangemen's Day, also
known as Orange Day, is
celebrated on July 12th.
In Newfoundland and
Labrador it is usually
celebrated on the Monday
nearest to July 12th.
Orangemen's Day
commemorates the 1690
Protestant victory over
Roman Catholic forces in
the Battle of the Boyne
in Ireland. King William
III of Orange, the
Protestant King of
England, defeated former
King James II, a
Catholic.
The Orange Order was
established a century
after the Battle of the
Boyne and steadily grew
in the 19th
century as a patriotic
bulwark against what
many Protestants saw as
treasonous Catholicism.
By the end of the 19th
century Orangemen's
parades were commonplace
in many Newfoundland
communities.
In some Newfoundland and
Labrador communities,
Orangemen's Day
celebrations are
rescheduled in the
winter season so that
fishermen on the
northeast coast do not
lose money during the
lucrative cod fishing
season.
|