There was stripping, boozing and people condemning godlessness at the Belfast parade, writes Suzanne Breen.
The Orange Order and its supporters are wary of new ideas. A stall selling ethnic silver jewellery on the route of Belfast's Twelfth parade on Saturday drew stares from marching loyalists.
The African vendor unsuccessfully tried to push her wares. "That Fenian junk shouldn't be sold here," shouted a marcher on the Lisburn Road who objected to bracelets with green stones.
Elsewhere, business was brisk. A man with a supermarket trolley of UVF flags and plastic Union Jack hammers - "for smashing Sinn Féinery" - was raking in the cash.
At Shaftesbury Square, stalls selling Israeli flags, Union Jack lollipops and We Hate the IRA CDs were doing a roaring trade. But the most popular item was a keyring outlining 10 reasons why it was better to be a Prod than a Taig.
"We don't holiday in Rome"; "It's safer to bend over in church than in chapel"; "We don't eat fish on Friday"; and "We don't sell clothes-pegs" were the alleged benefits.
Over 200 Orange lodges and their bands left Carlisle Circus at 10 a.m. on Saturday for the three-hour march to the Field at Edenderry, on the outskirts of Belfast. It was perfect marching weather, sunny with a gentle breeze.
Supporters lining the roads applauded the bands. But long gone are the days of crowds 10-deep. Every year, the spectators are more thinly spread.
The marchers' lush, ornate banners carried scenes of a bygone era: Sir Edward Carson signing the Ulster Covenant; Mountbatten of Burma and Queen Victoria; King William at the Boyne.
Attire varied according to age. Older Orangemen men were immaculate in their Sunday suits. Carnations sprouted from many bowler hats. They carried carefully-folded umbrellas, or unsheathed swords, with military-like precision.
In terms of marching, the younger men were all over the place. They wore earrings and sashes were untidily stretched across ill-fitting suits. The parade was an overwhelmingly working-class affair.
There were Union Jack shades, sombreros and mini-dresses. One unfortunate poodle was even bedecked in red, white and blue.
For some, it's still a family day out. Children's faces lit up as the blood-and-thunder bands passed. Mothers brought sandwiches and huge flasks of tea. But most refreshments were of a stronger variety.
Dozens of lodges carried temperance banners - yet nearly every other adult lining the route seemed to be drunk or getting there. It wasn't even midday.
A group of heavily-tattooed men stood outside Lavery's bar with eight cases of beer. One did a striptease as a band played The Sash, removing his t-shirt to reveal a huge tanned belly and pierced nipples.
A few yards away, a group of middle-aged women clutched plastic cups of vodka and coke in one hand and ice-cream cones in the other.
The matrons of the Ballymacarrett Ladies Orange Association marched solemnly in neat navy suits.
But South Belfast Young Conquerors swaggered up the road full of machismo.
The Shankill Star Flute Band - which had the name of dead UVF member Brian Robinson inscribed on its drum - drew the biggest cheer.
The UVF magazine Combat, and the UDA journal The Loyalist, were on sale along the route. A UVF flag was draped over the bus-shelter at the City Hospital. Across the road, a group of loyalists ripped down a poster advertising the eighth commemorative Rory Gallagher gig at a local pub. "Fenian bastard!" one shouted.
Intoxicated men struggled with their camcorders, still determined to record the day. In the skies overhead, a banner from a plane pledged, "Jesus is Lord. He will be back". At the Field, St John ambulance crews treated marchers for blisters and general wear-and-tear. One Orangeman sat with his feet steeped in a basin.
Down at the platform, a religious service was in progress with hymns, readings from the Bible and prayers. Only a handful of people bothered to take part.
Orange dignitaries reaffirmed their devotion to the Queen and the Protestant faith. They condemned secularism, "godlessness"and the lack of Christian standards.
But few were listening. The loyal sons of Ulster were stretched out on the grass - chatting, eating burgers, and mostly drinking beer.
In his address, the former Ulster Unionist Assembly member, Mr Fraser Agnew, said that unionist unity was vital in current political circumstances.
He declared: "It is time for a coalition of those who hold to traditional unionist values. There has got to be a realignment of unionism.
"Just as the Orange Order dominated the first Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, it is ideally placed to exert its influence in bringing about a new and vibrant unionism."
The Order expressed concern at the recent divisions in unionism. In a statement, it said the Belfast Agreement could not offer "fair and just government". There should be no place for Sinn Féin in the North's Executive "until there is proof the IRA is gone and its terrorist activities have ceased".
Given the past behaviour of the British government, "working in tandem with foreign governments", the Order expressed concern about proposals for Northern Ireland's political future. "Bitter experience has taught us that their attempts to buy off Irish nationalism and Irish republicanism has been to the disadvantage and hurt of unionist people and the Union," it said. The Order also expressed regret at police reforms and condemned the activities of "criminals, arsonists, vandals and thugs" who injured people or destroyed property.