This
holiday goes by different names in different countries. In Ireland,
it is often called Orangemen's Day or Orangefest, and in Newfoundland
and Labrador (in Canada) it is sometimes simply called Orange Day. I
know you're wondering if the day honors the fruit or the color, but
in actuality it is a celebration of a military victory of the
Protestant King William of Orange against the Catholic King James II
at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland.
Yikes!
I am not usually one to want to celebrate bloodshed over religious
differences!
However,
those that celebrate Orange Day (by any name) these days point out
that our modern emphasis is not on past violence or political
differences between Protestant and Catholic Irish, but rather on
culture and colorful traditions. People march in parades, decorate
the streets with flags and bunting and banners, and light bonfires.
Unfortunately,
a lot of people who are still alive well remember the Troubles
between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland (from the late 1960s to
the late 1990s), so I think that there is some possibility that
colorful traditions could once again spill over into fighting. Let it
not be so!!
Maybe
we should just make the holiday all about the color and the fruit
called “orange”?
Here
are some of my favorite orange things:
Orange and chocolate, together! Yum. Whether it's candy, cake, or ice cream, chocolate is better with a dash of orange flavoring.
California
poppies. They are so bright on the roadside, they almost seem
unnatural! Like someone gave Mother Nature a box of neon bright
markers or something.
Fresh-squeezed orange juice.
Orange leaves in the fall. I like the golden ones and red ones, too, of course, but the orange ones are my favorite.
Jack-o-lanterns. I prefer the ones with cheery faces or intricate scenes, but scary faces are fun, too.
Orange
slices. You know, that candy shaped like wedges of orange (the
fruit) with sugar crystals on the outside?
All the orange worn by the Dutch during national soccer games, Queen's Day, and other assorted events that call for patriotism. The color orange is a patriotic color for the Netherlands because it is the color of its royal family—which dates back to William of Orange, which brings us full circle on this discussion of Orangefest!
Also
on this date:
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