Every year, many people turn out across Northern Ireland on July 12th to march and hold celebrations. But what is the commemoration all about?
The Twelfth marks the victory of King William of Orange over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne, which took place outside Drogheda in 1690. This struggle secured a Protestant line of succession to the British Crown.
The Orange Order, which was founded in 1795, celebrates William's legacy each year by parading through Northern Irish streets with a marching band.
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The parades of the Orange Order are the largest public Protestant witness of their kind anywhere in the world.
Flags and banners adorned with paintings depicting the Battle of the Boyne are usually held aloft by marchers who parade through towns up and down the country accompanied by bands playing a range of instruments including flutes and Lambeg drums.
The first Orange parades were held on July 12, 1796 at Portadown, Lurgan and Waringstown. By 1798, large parades were held at Belfast, Lisburn and Lurgan where the General Officer commanding in Ulster, Lieutenant-General Lake, inspected the parade.
The Orange parades became highly contentious during the “Troubles” of 1968-1998.
Widespread rioting and violence has erupted on traditional parade routes in the past but celebrations in recent years have been mostly peaceful with parades commission outlining restrictions on routes which some parades take.
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