  Neicu and Kudrolli observed experimentally spontaneous formation of the
long-range orientational order and large-scale vortices in a system of vibrated
macroscopic rods. We propose a phenomenological theory of this phenomenon,
based on a coupled system of equations for local rods density and tilt. The
density evolution is described by modified Cahn-Hilliard equation, while the
tilt is described by the Ginzburg-Landau type equation. Our analysis shows
that, in accordance to the Cahn-Hilliard dynamics, the islands of the ordered
phase appear spontaneously and grow due to coarsening. The generic vortex
solutions of the Ginzburg-Landau equation for the tilt correspond to the
vortical motion of the rods around the cores which are located near the centers
of the islands.
