Thursday 12 July 2012

Orange anyone?

So welcome to the "Glorious 12th" or Orange Day. Nothing to do with mobile phones and free cinema offer codes or anything like that. This is the day celebrated in 'some' parts of the world, mainly the protestant world, the world of 'The 
Orange Order The Orange Institution (more commonly known as the Orange Order, the Orange Lodge or theOrangemen).' 



To anyone who lives in Hoylake, Merseyside (where me and my Mum used to live) and have wondered why King's Gap is so called, further research will reveal the King referred to is King William of Orange! As a consequence the Orange Order used to have huge, flamboyant, noisy parades marching through Hoylake, but it was always, a bit of a mystery and when I was (heaps) younger I used to ask my Mum (then a hugely catholic Liverpool catholic) "What was this colourful loud parade all about?" "Oh you don't want to be bothered with all that rubbish - but I suppose if I really must I will tell you when you are older!" For my Mum even right up until she died that was a big negative refusal and so out of character. 
I never asked her again because in the mean time I found out what it was all about! More importantly why Mum had this hatred, which for her was a very base emotion of The Orange Order.
Even now you know and she's been dead nearly two years I'm not mentioning the word 'happy' in relation to today, for fear of some wind chime battle, which is the way she now shows her distaste at things I do!!
Shortly before she died she met my great friend from work, who was to be fair the highest person I ever met in the Orange Order and Mum commented on how nice a man he was. Do you think I said what was on the tip of my tongue? (Did you know he was an Orangeman, Mum?) NO WAY NEVER!!   

2 comments:

~d said...

Bet Mum knows NOW!!!

SIMON said...

Yeah too right she does!!