Tartan Day

What Is Tartan Day: On April 6, Americans honored the signing of the Scottish Declaration of Independence, also called the Declaration of Arbroath, in 1320. This is known as Tartan Day. The Declaration of Arbroath affected the American Declaration of Independence, which is why it is important. A lot of the Founding Fathers were from Scotland. In fact, nine of the thirteen governors of the new United States and more than half of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence were Scottish. 

This historical connection shows how close the two countries have been for a long time and how important Scottish ancestry was in shaping America’s founding ideals. Tartan Day is a powerful reminder of our shared history and the important role that people with Scottish roots played in starting the United States.

History of Tartan Day

Tartan Day began in the mid-1980s in Canada, where more than 15% of the people are of Scottish descent. Today is a holiday for people who are not from Scotland to honor their heritage and remember April 6, 1320, when Scotland became independent. The Declaration of Arbroath was signed to honor this important day in history. It recognized full sovereignty and the right to use one’s armed forces for self-defense.

Following Canada’s creation of Tartan Day in 1997, the Coalition of Scottish Americans in the United States successfully pushed for April 6 to be named National Tartan Day. The point of this honor is to recognize the great things that Scottish Americans have done and contributed to the United States.

The festival is celebrated all over the world. Still, it is most well-known in Canada, the US, Australia, and, surprisingly, Argentina, which has about 100,000 people with Scottish ancestry, more than any other non-English-speaking country.

It’s interesting to note that Tartan Day became a national holiday in Scotland in 2004, almost twenty years after it started in Canada. ‘Tartan Day’ comes from the square, crisscrossed woolen cloth that Scottish clan members wear, called a kilt. Modern people call this kind of pattern “plaid.”

Why National Tartan Day?

The Declaration of Arbroath also called the Scottish Declaration of Independence, was signed in 1320. Every year, on April 6, National Tartan Day, people remember this event. It is important in American history because the Declaration of Arbroath affected the American Declaration of Independence. Nine of the governors who helped build the new United States were from Scotland, as were about half of the signatories to the American Declaration of Independence. This shows how important Scottish history was in the creation of the United States.

Parade with other people.

Several cities hold parades on this national holiday to show off different Scottish traditions. People often wear kilts and are accompanied by bands playing bagpipes and drums that sound like they belong in the Scottish Highlands. It’s fun to go to one of these parades with family or friends.

Put on a sporran and a kilt:

Put on a traditional Scottish outfit, like a kilt, to get into the holiday spirit. These clothes are getting more and more popular as the holiday season approaches. For this festival, it’s traditional to wear a kilt, which can be paired with a sporran, which is a Scottish pocketbook that can hold your wallet and phone during parades.

Make a traditional dinner from Scotland.

Making a traditional Scottish meal will add to the fun. People often choose haggis and black pudding. If you need to learn how to do something, look up a recipe online or ask a friend to help you. A traditional Scottish treat called haggis is made by boiling different parts of a sheep in oatmeal, suet, and salt. Three main things make Scottish black pudding unique: oats, dried pig’s blood, and suet.

National Tartan Day Timeline

200-300 AD:

The Scots start wearing tartan clothes around 200–300 AD. First, it’s important to know that Tartan is not the same as “Plaid,” which literally means “blanket.” Tartan is a design that is woven into the fabric in both horizontal and vertical directions.

1320:

There are signs of the Declaration of Arbroath on April 6. During the First War of Scottish Independence, Pope John XXII asks for a truce. In response, King Robert I wrote a letter that is important in Scottish history.

1746:

The government passes the Act of Proscription to help British citizens become more like other British people and to stop the clans. This law keeps the Scottish people from rising in rebellion and even stops them from wearing tartans, which adds to a long period of cultural oppression.

1986:

Canada, where April 6 is Scottish Heritage Day, came up with the idea for the first National Tartan Day. Nova Scotia, which means “New Scotland,” is where this project began.

1998:

Tartan Day is a real holiday in the United States. This year, the Scottish Coalition USA did what Canada did and successfully introduced and passed a bill in Congress to make Tartan Day a national holiday.

How People Celebrate National Tartan Day

Birthday parties and parades:

A lot of cities in the US and Canada celebrate National Tartan Day with parades, festivals, and other fun events. At these events, people wear and show off tartan clothes and textiles, and they also play traditional Scottish music and dance. Every year, marching bands, bagpipers, and people wearing tartan kilts and other clothes take part in the Tartan Day Parade in New York City.

For dinner on Tartan Day, you can:

Another common way to celebrate National Tartan Day is to go to a Tartan Day dinner. At these events, there is often a tasty spread of traditional Scottish foods and drinks, like haggis and Scotch whisky. There will be educational parts to the celebration, with speeches and presentations about Scottish culture and heritage.

Putting on Tartan:

A simple but effective way to honor National Tartan Day is to wear clothes with tartan patterns. On this day, many Scots and Scottish Americans wear kilts, scarves, and other clothes made with Tartan with pride, showing how proud they are of their heritage. This action shows a personal connection to the culture and traditions of Scotland.

Why Is National Tartan Day Important

People must accept and honor their heritage, even in today’s globalized world. In the history of countries like the US and Australia, Scotland has been very important and has helped shape their independence. There are a lot of people there with Scottish ancestry.

Outside of Scotland, people might need to learn what haggis, bagpipes, kilts, or the Scottish Highland dance are. In this way, spending the day learning about Scottish traditions is a great way to learn more about other cultures.

People of any background can join in the celebrations, not just those with Scottish roots. Anyone interested in Scottish culture and traditions is welcome to join the Tartan Day celebrations. It lets people from all walks of life interact with and learn about Scotland’s rich cultural history.

What should I wear on Tartan Day?

Wear a Kilt for the day

You don’t just have to wear a kilt to be wearing tartan of course, other forms of tartan clothing includes scarves, sashes, capes, ties and you can even get your dog in the Scottish spirit with leads and coats.

Check out the Tartan Day Parade in NYC.

A week-long event called NYC Tartan Week is held every year in New York City to honor Tartan Day. The loved Bay City Rollers and up-and-coming Scottish musicians take part in the Tartan Day Parade as part of the celebrations. The pre-parade Ceilidh, which happens the night before, will have reels and jigs, so it should be a lively event. The party after the parade will also have musical performances and lots of chances to drink a few drams.

Bring a kilt to the event.

Kilts don’t have to be flashy, despite what most people think. Many well-made kilts aren’t too expensive, so you can look great without spending a lot of money. People of all ages, races, and genders can wear kilts because they are very versatile. They come in a lot of different tartan patterns. If you want to show off your style or your clan, you’re sure to find one you love. People can show their Scottish pride even when they’re not wearing kilts by wearing tartan coats, dog leads, ties, sashes, scarves, and capes.

What to do on Tartan Day?

What Do People Do? Tartan Day celebrations include parades with pipe bands, highland dancing and sports, and other community gatherings with Scottish-themed events. While a variety of tartans are displayed, the maple leaf tartan is Canada’s official tartan.

Join a parade.

On April 6, parades are often held in big cities to show off the variety of Scottish traditions. Bands playing drums and bagpipes play music while people wear kilts of different colors and patterns. It’s like you’ve been taken straight to the Scottish Highlands.

Wear a kilt and sporran to look your best.

Wear a traditional Scottish kilt on this important day. If you don’t already have one, you should buy one because this is a one-of-a-kind chance to join in the fun. There’s no need to feel bad about wearing a kilt on Tartan Day because everyone does. The Gaelic word for purse is “sporran,” and it is an important piece of clothing for a Scot. If your kilt doesn’t have pockets, this classic pouch is a safe place to keep your wallet and phone.

Enjoy the traditional food of Scotland.

Try some of Scotland’s famous foods, like haggis and black pudding, to get a sense of its unique flavors. It may sound better, but haggis is a dish made from boiled sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs with suet, oatmeal, and spices. Black pudding is not a dessert, as its name suggests. It is a pork sausage made with oatmeal, suet, and dried pig’s blood.

What does Tartan Day honor?

Tartan Day is celebrated on April 6th every year to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. This document was a letter sent by Scottish nobles to Pope John XXII, declaring Scotland’s independence from England.

On National Tartan Day, parades with lots of different colors, the sound of pipe bands, and a rainbow of tartan patterns fill the streets. The number of people who attend this event on April 6 in both the US and Canada has grown over the years. It is a fun celebration of Scotland’s history and culture.

Tartan Day started in Nova Scotia, Canada, in March 1986, when a party was held to honor Scottish heritage. The Federation of Scottish Clans led this project to bring attention to and support Scotland’s rich cultural history.

In Canada, National Tartan Day was made official in 1998. The first official celebration was on April 6, 1998. After starting in Canada, the festival has spread to other countries, and now it lives in New York City, where it is celebrated with great enthusiasm.

Why is it called Tartan Day?

Tartan Day is celebration of Scottish heritage and the cultural contributions of Scottish and Scottish-diaspora figures of history. The name refers to tartan, a patterned woollen cloth associated with Scotland. The event originated in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1987.

When it comes to Scotland, Tartan Day is very important because it’s a holiday that brings us closer to the US and Canada. In 1998, the Senate created Tartan Day to honor and celebrate the great things that Scottish Americans have done for the country.

Every year, thousands of people in the US and Canada get together to celebrate Tartan Day. For many, this day has special meaning because it connects them to their families, careers, educations, or a deep love for Scotland, which is often their favorite place to vacation. On April 6, 2024, these people will be able to celebrate their relationships in a way that has never been done before.

In Canada, Tartan Day is now an official celebration of Scottish culture and heritage. It began in Nova Scotia in the mid-1980s and has become more popular since the 1990s. The spirit of Tartan Day isn’t just in these areas; it’s spread across national borders and is now celebrated all over the world. The people who come together to celebrate Scotland’s strong spirit are happy.

Who celebrates Tartan Day?

In Canada, Tartan Day is an annual celebration of Scottish culture and heritage, with the government making it an official day of celebration. The day originated in Canada in the mid-1980s in Nova Scotia and has grown more popular every year, being adopted by people across the globe since the 1990s.

No matter what kind of Scottish ancestry you have, National Tartan Day is a day for everyone to celebrate. It was created to honor Scottish history. To get the most out of this special day, try these fun ideas:

To be clear about Tartan:

Know the difference between “tartan” and the word “plaid,” which is often used incorrectly. “Plaid” is the Gaelic word for a blanket, while “tartan” refers to the horizontal and vertical stripes that are woven into the fabric.

Wear Tartan with pride.

For National Tartan Day, dress in a kilt, skirt, or scarf with Tartan on it. Show your love for this classic fabric that will never go out of style. People with Scottish roots can make the party more special by choosing a tartan color and pattern that shows loyalty to their clan.

America and Canada were the first countries to celebrate National Tartan Day. Now, people all over the world celebrate Scottish heritage and culture. People all over the world now celebrate this one-of-a-kind day to honor the rich tapestry of Scottish identity and pride that is shown in the famous tartan emblem.

Tartan isn’t just a pattern on fabric; it’s a part of Scottish culture and history. Scots and Scottish Americans can honor their ancestors and celebrate their shared heritage on National Tartan Day. Plus, it makes them feel closer to each other.

There are lots of different ways to celebrate National Tartan Day, from lively parades and group dinners to the simple but meaningful act of wearing Tartan. Every word adds to the celebration’s color and friendliness, letting people from all over the world honor all things Scottish on this happy day. People all over the world come together on National Tartan Day to celebrate Scotland’s rich cultural history and acknowledge its impact on the world.