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Thisnholiday goes by different names in different countries. In Ireland,nit is often called Orangemen’s Day or Orangefest, and in Newfoundlandnand Labrador (in Canada) it is sometimes simply called Orange Day. Inknow you’re wondering if the day honors the fruit or the color, butnin actuality it is a celebration of a military victory of thenProtestant King William of Orange against the Catholic King James IInat the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland.
Thisnholiday goes by different names in different countries. In Ireland,nit is often called Orangemen’s Day or Orangefest, and in Newfoundlandnand Labrador (in Canada) it is sometimes simply called Orange Day. Inknow you’re wondering if the day honors the fruit or the color, butnin actuality it is a celebration of a military victory of thenProtestant King William of Orange against the Catholic King James IInat the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland.n
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nYikes!nI am not usually one to want to celebrate bloodshed over religiousndifferences! n
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nHowever,nthose that celebrate Orange Day (by any name) these days point outnthat our modern emphasis is not on past violence or politicalndifferences between Protestant and Catholic Irish, but rather onnculture and colorful traditions. People march in parades, decoratenthe streets with flags and bunting and banners, and light bonfires.
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nUnfortunately,na lot of people who are still alive well remember the Troublesnbetween Protestants and Catholics in Ireland (from the late 1960s tonthe late 1990s), so I think that there is some possibility thatncolorful traditions could once again spill over into fighting. Let itnnot be so!!
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nMaybenwe should just make the holiday all about the color and the fruitncalled “orange”?
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nHerenare some of my favorite orange things:
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nOrangen and chocolate, together! Yum. Whether it’s candy, cake, or icen cream, chocolate is better with a dash of orange flavoring.n
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Californian poppies. They are so bright on the roadside, they almost seemn unnatural! Like someone gave Mother Nature a box of neon brightn markers or something.n
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nFresh-squeezedn orange juice. nn
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nOrangen leaves in the fall. I like the golden ones and red ones, too, ofn course, but the orange ones are my favorite.n
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nJack-o-lanterns.n I prefer the ones with cheery faces or intricate scenes, but scaryn faces are fun, too.n
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Orangen slices. You know, that candy shaped like wedges of orange (then fruit) with sugar crystals on the outside?n
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nAlln the orange worn by the Dutch during national soccer games, Queen’sn Day, and other assorted events that call for patriotism. The colorn orange is a patriotic color for the Netherlands because it is then color of its royal family—which dates back to William of Orange,n which brings us full circle on this discussion of Orangefest!n
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nAlsonon this date:
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Inventor and scientist George Washington Carver’s birthday
Inventor and scientist George Washington Carver’s birthday n
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nCryptographer Michael Ventris’s birthday
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