ABSTRACT
The marching season is dominated by the parades of the loyal orders; but there is also a distinct nationalist parading calendar that is part of the wider culture of parading. While the focus of attention is on the Ulster parades, Orangemen also parade in Britain and Ireland in this period. But these distinctions are always matters of degree: both parts are always present at the major parades; they are the two halves of the Orange community; it is neither just religious, nor purely secular and sectarian: it is always both. Traditional parades are presented as unproblematic and uncontentious, whereas political parades need to be carefully policed and constrained. The unionist community sees the parades as an expression of their civil rights, a celebration of their culture and a confirmation of their constitutional status; whereas nationalists regard the constant parades as triumphalist reminders of their second-class status. The crisis illustrates the continued symbolic and political significance given to the parade routes.
