Tartan day: Och Aye, the Noo 🏴
Caledonia's... Alba's... Scotland's plaid path to today, how they celebrate Tartan day, and how you should - tonight!
We always start with the tunes!
🏴 Tartan day
On April 6th, the bagpipes will swell, and the tartans will unfurl as Scotland celebrates its National Tartan Day. This vibrant festival pays homage to the iconic Scottish tartan, a woven pattern steeped in tradition and pride. But Tartan Day is more than just a fashion statement – it commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, Scotland's bold declaration of independence from English rule.
Its celebrated around the world in the diaspora, typically with kilt walks, bagpipe playing and occasionally some Scottish sports, which I will fail to explain well here:
Hurling - which is a little like hockey, football, and rugby combined where you use bats/sticks to pass a ball to score a goal against a keeper for 3 points, or aim higher like rugby for 1 point.
Caber toss - essentially picking up a 6m tree without branches and its heavy end up in the air, and then throwing it hard enough and with enough momentum so that it flips 180 degrees
Stone skimming - the world championship is held in the outer Hebrides where some skim stones over 50m!
various other throwing events - stone put (like shot put), hammer throw, weight throw, weights over the bar and hay sheaf toss (that uses a pitch fork and throws it over a 2m bar!)
Prepare to be swept away by tales of fierce Highland warriors, enlightened philosophers, and visionary inventors who have left an indelible mark on the world. Dust off your kilts, tune your bagpipes, and learn about the Gaelic language, the Picts, Caledonia and Alba!
The history of Scotland
Records begin in Scotland before the pyramids - 5,000 years ago! The Calanais Standing Stones in the Outer Hebrides predates even Stone Henge, has evidence of a lightning strike when it was built and a centre perfectly aligned north south 7 tonne stone with a chambered tomb.
By the Iron Age, the Picts carved their mysterious symbol-studded slabs, leaving their artistic mark across the northern reaches of the land. Interesting, we are not sure where the Picts came from (early migrants from Europe or descendants of the indigenous northern Scots, but we do know that they were fierce and strong enough to defend themselves like few across Europe could - they defended themselves against the Romans, such that they built two walls (Hadrians and Antonine) to keep them away!
We don’t know what they would have called themselves, and in fact they were a collection of united tribes so likely wouldn’t have their own name. One tribe was known to be called the Caledonii and hence is where the Caledonia name for Scotland comes from.
The Picts were called ‘the painted ones’ by the Romans - painted as they would be covered in a huge number of tattoos and often paint themselves blue when going into battle at sea or on land, for identity, for fear and for antiseptic purposes!
The Picts were not the only ones in Scotland as time went on. Celtic/Gaelic tribes came from Ireland, bringing their language, their art (such as the knots) and their trade. The Picts and Gaelic tribes did war too, but ultimately were closer and united against the Romans. Slowly however Pict culture disappeared and was lost to time - we know very little about them after 800CE.
The Gaelic culture did continue however, in large part to Kenneth MacAlpin’s rule of the Dal Riada Kingdom of Celts which also conquered the Kingdom of the Picts. This land was unified under the name Alba, not Scotland.
In fact Scotland’s name stems from the Romans, who called the Irish “Scoti” . As the Celts came to Alba the Romans continued calling them Scoti and ultimately the Celts united a kingdom, hence why we now call Scotland Scotland.
Moving past 500 years of fighting with the Britons, the Anglo-saxons, Vikings and Irish, Alba had fallen under the English crown, after the English King Edward I (a.k.a “Longshanks” because he was very tall) was invited to arbitrage over a succession dispute and ultimately invaded soon after.
William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, and Andrew de Moray led the patriots, who were then backed by the Bishop of Glasgow and the Scottish nobles, changing the revolt into a war for independence.
The English was battling in France, but did send an army who were defeated by Wallace, who then opened its ports to Europeans and chased the English to Newcastle and further, returning with huge amounts of plunder, and becoming a Knight in the process.
“Longshanks” formed a truce with France and immediately turned northwards and decimated William Wallace’s army near Falkirk, though failed to concur Scotland and even the Pope got involved to tell the English king to stop it! Despite the Pope, Edward did continue years later and did eventually win, by getting Robert the Bruce to support him! Wallace hated this, continued resistance, and became the most wanted man in Scotland.
Then Robert the Bruce turned on Edward, claimed the Scottish crown his own and won various battles, and Edward then died - unrelated. Then in 1320, the Declaration of Arbroath was signed stating Scottish independence on the 6th April - the day Tartan day is celebrated.
Abridged history after
English becomes commonly spoken
the towns become more and more prosperous
a strong Highlander vs Lowlander divide starts
the Scots become Presbyterian protestant
Mary Queen of Scots is chased out of Scotland for being Catholic, leaving her 1 year old son James to become the King of Scotland
Later Queen Elizabeth 1 of England dies without an heir, meaning that James inherits the English crown as well joining the two countries more tightly
10 years of unusual weather hits Scotland, creating famines and forcing many highlanders to the lowlands and to England
some also decide to run from Scotland forming Nova Scotia (new Scotland) in Canada and the Darien Scheme, a colony in Panama which all nobles committed to and 20% of the economy was pledged to, but ultimately failed due to weather, boggy land and mosquitoes.
The nobles then voted for Union with England, as the British Empire was growing incredibly wealthy.
The Scottish economy grows rapidly, ship building, architecture, art and the Scottish enlightenment in Edinburgh is huge (John Smith, David Hume, Thomas Reid, etc)
James Watt invents the Steam engine
Highlanders begin revolts against taxes and start the Jacobite Rising of 1745 which had success and pushed through England to Derby, but again England withdrew troops from Europe and chased the wave back all the way to the north of Scotland at Culloden, once again, on the 6th April.
The highlanders are made refugees on their own land, and persecuted for the rising, pushing them into poverty and slums in the cities, especially Glasgow, often working in ship building.
2 million scots moved across the world establishing a wide diaspora, many of which celebrate 6th April as Tartan day!
The food
While dishes like haggis may be an acquired taste, there are plenty of delectable Scottish foods that can bring a taste of the Highlands into your own kitchen.
For a starter, try your hand at making Cullen skink - a thick, savory soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions.
Those with a sweet tooth can indulge in that most iconic of Scottish desserts - cranachan. This luscious trifle layers toasted oatmeal, whipped cream, honey, raspberries, and a dram of whisky into a decadent sweet-tart parfait.
The movies
Brave (2012) - Disney Pixar. I don’t think i need to write anything here.
Braveheart (1995) - Mel Gibson's Academy Award-winning saga remains one of the most rousing and controversial films about Scottish history, largely as it makes up a story around regal affairs, brave heart was actually Robert the Bruce’s name, and pushed that Wallace was a highlander, when he was a noble gentry man from the lowlands, who wouldn’t wear blue face paint and before tartan was invented.
Trainspotting (1996) - Bored of the history? Leave it to Danny Boyle to inject some punk rock irreverence into the image of Scotland. This cult classic dark comedy, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, takes an uncompromising look at a group of heroin addicts in 1980s Edinburgh. It's gritty, shocking, and totally unforgettable.