Kilts |
The temple of tartan |
 I think it is possible that all Scots are illegitimate, Scotsmen being so mean and Scots women so generous  |
| - Edwin Muir |
"Bonnie Prince Charlie uses his
equity credentials to rally his
battle weary army"
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Recent historical research from the artistic licence national records may have uncovered the origins of the kilt. It's now believed Ronald Macgregor, back in 1258, won a lady's tartan skirt in a raffle.
I don't think there is any other type of clothing discussed more than the Scottish kilt. The modern Highland outfit is completely different from the ancient garb. A question I've heard many a time is, "The kilt doesn't seem to be a practical garment to wear considering the severity of Scotland's weather?" This assumption would apply to today's kilt (made from eight yards of cloth) but the original kilt, sometimes unravelling to thirty feet, was more than practical. You could wrap your whole body in it.
The majority of people in Scotland don't own a kilt. You'll mainly see people in Scotland donning the highland dress (often hired) at evening functions, weddings, football games, rugby matches, Hogmanay
or at the birthday celebrations for our national poet Robert Burns (25th January). Gentlemen also wear kilts 'cos the birds luv it'. This is a quaint old Scottish courting expression.
There are probably more people in the New World wearing kilts and tartan than in Scotland itself. The Immigrant Scots and their offspring in Canada and North America are proud of their Scottish heritage, commemorating their Celtic roots at any given opportunity. It must be true what they say - you can take the Scot out of Scotland but never Scotland out of the Scot.
The earliest example of tartan dates from the third century AD. A two coloured check, named the 'Falkirk' tartan, was found near the Roman Antonine wall. The word tartan - depending on which book you read - is derived from tiretaine (French) or tiritani (Spanish) or tarsna (Irish) or tortilla (Mexican) or tagliatelle (Italian) or a mixture of them all.
Tartan has become the main symbol of Scottish culture, an emblem of Scottish descent and a modern catwalk accessory. The first tartans were simple checks coloured by vegetable dyes found in the various districts of Scotland, the colours signifying a geographical base. The clans were recognised by regional shades caused by the diversity in weaving techniques.
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During the 1950s and 1960s, Edinburgh Corporation Transport would not allow a kilt-wearing gentleman upstairs on their trams, in fear of frightening the downstairs passengers.
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After Bonnie Prince Charlie's defeat at Culloden in 1746, the wearing of the kilt was banned and the Gaelic language discouraged. Anyone caught wearing tartan or playing the bagpipes could be sent to jail for six months. (The pipers should have been jailed for life.) The ban was not lifted until 1782. There was an upsurge in the 'Highland craze' after Sir Walter Scott stage-managed the Royal visit of George IV to Scotland in 1822. The king arrived wearing a kilt. Sadly, the pink tights he wore underneath clashed with the rest of his outfit. Tartan became even more popular during the reign of Queen Victoria when commercialisation took hold and tartan mania rolled on - gathering lots of moss.
"The tagiatelle tartan by
Hamish Di Rollo"
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The origin of kneeling to gauge the correct size of a kilt dates back to the First World War (1914-1918), when regimental tailors had little time to measure the troops properly. With thousands of Scots joining the British army, fresh-faced recruits were asked to kneel down in rows, so a quick kilt measurement could be taken. Nowadays, the
correct length of the kilt is just cutting the top of the knee. I'm reliably informed by the infamous Highland dress supplier, Neil Manderson (www.classickilts.com) that kneeling down makes the garment too long!
In November 1969, Commander Alan Bean took the Macbean tartan to the moon on Apollo 12. A portion of the material was left as a flag, while the remaining section (on its return to earth) was presented to the MacBean archives. It's the ONLY tartan to have gone to the moon! There is absolutely no truth in the rumour that Russian cosmonauts in the 1960s trained in Scotland in a resolute attempt to acclimatise themselves to a place with no atmosphere.
With the number of properly registered tartans now running into the thousands, many businesses who want to raise their Scottish profile are having their own tartan designed. Today, tartan and kilts are part of a multimillion pound industry.
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