Today, the 12th of July, is a national holiday in Northern Ireland. Simply called The Twelfth, or Orangemen’s Day, it celebrates a 17th century battle and the victory of the protestants over the Catholics. It’s also celebrated in parts of the U.S. and Canada. And considering about half the population of Northern Ireland is Catholic, the holiday can still be a tense time.
But all this history was probably lost on the “Today” show, as they asked fans to dress in orange to welcome British singer Ed Sheeran, whose first album is called “The Orange Room.”
“[M]ake sure to rock the color orange in support of your favorite red-haired singer, who will be singing his hits live on TODAY,” the show asked. So you’ll forgive any Irish Catholic tourist strolling through Rockfeller Center seeing the sea of orange and thinking Orangeman’s day had come to Midtown Manhattan.