Edited from Wikipedia:
The Twelfth (also called Orangemen's Day or, in Belfast, Orangefest) is an annual Protestant celebration on 12 July. It celebrates the Glorious Revolution (1688) and victory of Protestant king William of Orange over Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne (1690). Members of the Orange Order stage parades throughout Northern Ireland and to a lesser extent in several other parts of the world. While it is a Protestant celebration, not all Irish Protestants celebrate it, whether due to political or cultural reasons or indifference. More recently, attempts have been made to play down explicitly political aspects of the parades (as well as any violent history) and present the Twelfth as a "cultural" event, at which tourists are welcome.
History
The Twelfth itself originated as a celebration of the Battle of Aughrim, which took place on 12 July 1691 in the Julian calendar. Aughrim was the decisive battle of the Williamite war, in which the predominantly Irish Catholic Jacobite army was destroyed and the remainder capitulated at Limerick, thereafter being exiled to France to fight in the wars of Louis XIV, the Sun King. The Twelfth in the early 18th century was a popular commemoration of this battle, featuring bonfires and parades. The Battle of the Boyne (fought on 1 July 1690) was commemorated with smaller parades on 1 July. However, two events were combined in the late 18th century to switch the Twelfth commemorations to the Boyne.
The Twelfth parades of the early 19th century often led to riots and public disorder, so much so that the Orange Order and the Twelfth were suppressed in the 1830s and 40s.
Events on the Twelfth
Lead-up to the Twelfth
The 'marching season' begins around Easter, and from this point until the Twelfth the Orange Order stages numerous small parades. The most common of these are lodge parades, in which one lodge walks with a single band. Others, such as the 'mini-Twelfth' at the start of July, feature several lodges.
At the start of July, some unionist areas will be decorated in a 'loyal' style. In most such areas this will include the flying of flags (primarily the Union Jack and Ulster Banner but also the Flag of Scotland) from lamp posts and houses, and sometimes the erection of bunting over the streets. In especially Loyalist areas such as the Shankill Road and Sandy Row in Belfast many householders will also decorate their houses with large quantities of bunting and flags, murals will be touched up, small banners will be attached to lamp posts, and arches will be erected.
Eleventh night
The night before the Twelfth sees enormous bonfires lit in some Unionist districts. These are alternately seen as friendly community get-togethers, depending on time, place and personal viewpoint. A recent criticism of the bonfires is that much of what is burnt (especially tyres) causes serious environmental pollution. In the past the fires were lit on intersections but damage to nearby houses and to the street itself meant that most areas now have an area of waste ground set aside for this purpose.
Official events
The main official way in which the Twelfth is celebrated in Northern Ireland is through parades, which are held all over Northern Ireland. Within Northern Ireland each District Lodge usually organises its own parade. In rural districts the parade will rotate around various towns, sometimes favouring those in which there is less likely to be trouble but in other years choosing those in which it is felt the 'right to march' needs to be defended. The Belfast parade has taken more or less the same route for the last few decades, although in the 1980s the destination changed when the Order purchased a new field to end the parade in. In most areas the parade begins at an Orange Hall and proceeds through the town to a field where members of the Order, their friends and family, and the general public gather to eat, drink and listen to speeches by clergymen, politicians and senior members of the Order. In the past the Twelfth has been a major venue for discussion of the political issues of the day. A church service will also be conducted and sometimes band prizes will be awarded.
Lodges march together, and will generally alternate with marching bands of various kinds. Band members are often not formally associated with the Order but are hired for the day, although most are clearly of a similar political hue to the lodges, and have similar names. The bands, especially flute bands, have a reputation as being less respectable than the lodges, although they are seen by many as serving the useful purpose of keeping young men from working class areas out of trouble.
Controversy
Parades on the Twelfth are often controversial due to the nature of the Orange Order, and the Twelfth is a tense occasion in many parts of Northern Ireland, with riot police on duty at flashpoint parades to prevent clashes between the nationalist community and unionist community. Many in the nationalist community view the parades as triumphalist and a sign of Unionist Protestant dominance in Northern Ireland. Marchers insist that they have the right to walk on public streets, particularly along their 'traditional routes', even if these routes take them through or past what are predominantly nationalist areas. Nationalists see this as a deliberate territorial affront. Over the last few years the number of these flashpoints has appeared to decrease, as the paraders have been told to desist from, or moderate them by the Parades Commission, and nationalists have adopted a more relaxed attitude.
Every Twelfth between 1970 and 2005, British Army soldiers were deployed in Belfast to help police the parades. In 2006, for the first time in more than three decades, soldiers were not deployed on the streets of Belfast during the Twelfth, in what was seen as a benefit of the reduced tensions under the peace process. Due to improved policing and the Northern Ireland peace process, recent parades have been more peaceful. Any complaints about parades may be referred to the Parades Commission, who can set restrictions or even ban a parade if it is seen to be too contentious.
Not our picture: But shows an example of what we saw and a common size of a bonfire.
Our Experience:
On the night of the 11th we were watching the football game at James’ apartment in West Belfast and were able to see a 3-story bonfire waiting to be lit with the Irish flag on top. This would be common throughout the communities.
On the 12th we headed to Lisburn Road to watch one of the many parades that occur throughout the day. Some of the parades are more political charged and heated than the one we attended. In our experience the parade was lots of flute bands consisting mainly of males ranging in age from very young to very old. Each band represented an Orange Order, which is a Protestant political group from a neighbourhood. There were Orange Orders from all over Northern Ireland and a few from Scotland and England. There were well over 100 bands in the parade. The strangest part of the parade for us was part way through when everyone stopped for a beer and water break. Not something we had experienced before when watching a parade! As we walked the route of the parade we were amazed to see the number of people watching the parade. There were thousands of people watching this one parade. The rest of the day was really calm in our neighbourhood because it was a holiday. Most shops were closed; many people were out of the city, especially Catholics. In other parts of the city it was not as calm as this is a tense time in Northern Ireland. If you are interested, there are a few links to BBC which explain other happenings in the city.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/10612779.stm
This news shows some rioting on our road about 3/4 mile from our house on a bridge we cross frequently when going to city centre.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/10612369.stm
Orange Order Banner
The parade and all the people!!
A typical flute band
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