TWO festive seasons have begun in Northern Ireland and both will run through the summer.
One is the parading season. Members of loyal orders will march through several towns to declare their affinity with the British Crown and the Protestant faith.
There are three main orders, the Orange Order, the Apprentice Boys and the Black Preceptory.
What they have in common is the style of their public ritual, marching with colourful banners, led by bands with pipes and drums.
The parades now lead up to the big parade of July 12. In Northern Ireland if you talk about the Twelfth, no one thinks you are referring to a day in January.
Twelfth parades will take place all across the region but the biggest is always in Belfast.
Because of the divided character of the city many simply leave town to avoid the occasion.
But many Catholics who understand well that Orangeism is a thundering dismissal of their own faith still go along and watch the parades.
It is hard not to be a little uplifted by the rhythm, the colour and the general sense of carnival...
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See More: Divided, Northern Ireland, Parades, Troubles, Twelfth
