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  1. #221
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    This thread continues to inform and amaze - I can only add my hearty thanks to all for such a delightfully smart discussion.

  2. #222
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    Which Side of the Pond Are You on?

    VERY eloquently put! I agree that wearing the kilt out is something that sets the occasion apart from the norm, whether a football match or a night out with your sweety.

    Further to it's always been my impression, and experience, that British Scots are rarely put out to see someone wearing the kilt (at least in the tradition of the "Tank"), even if those wearing it aren't Scottish or British. Indeed they have always seemed quite delighted. On the other hand, I've found that the non-Scottish Brits tend to look down their nose (in that ever-so politely patronising British sort of way) at anyone wearing the kilt but not carrying a British passport so to speak. This has always seemed ironic to me as the kilt is quite set apart from English culture all together.

    In fact, just a fortnight ago while touring the Okeefenokee Swamp with my family for my daughter's birthday, a Brit asked me guardedly why I was wearing the kilt. After telling him "because I'm a MacGregor" he made an off hand comment about which side of the Atlantic we were on... I don't think I impressed him. It is possible that he was Scottish after all- he had the Queens English so I couldn't place him exactly- but I strongly doubt it.

    Thanks for your input!



    Quote Originally Posted by MacRobert's Reply View Post
    I have only just got to this lengthy, entertaining and very informative exchange. I am a Scot, living near Edinburgh but until recently my occupation took be all over Scotland so I have some sense of how the kilt fits into contemporary Scottish culture and our corporate psyche. As others have clearly pointed out, the highland kilt is a Scottish icon. As such it is woven (no pun intended) into our history and mythology; our sense of identity and belonging. Very few Scots now wear it as an every-day garment. It is generally worn on special occasions as a way of affirming national identity and pride, family (clan) identity and belonging, and the social importance of an event. It is worn at major celebrations such as rights of passage (hatching, matching and dispatching), especially weddings. Purchased or hired, wearing it is generally associated by most Scots with a sense of occasion. This is true even when worn with boots, rolled down hose and rugby or football shirts (often with the same dress sporran purchased for their wedding). The occasion may be informal and sporting but is no less a departure from the mundane into the celebratory. So for most of us here in Scotland the kilt is no longer a utilitarian garment (as it was in the mid 18th Century) but is increasingly worn for special occasions, both formal and informal. While high-quality hand-sown 8-yard tartan kilts are the most common at all these events, casual kilts, often in synthetic tartan cloth, appear at sporting events and stag nights. Well tailored kilts and kilt suits in unpatterned cloth also appear occasionally at weddings. Kilts in denim or cotton are very rare as you would expect in a country where the kilt has become associated with celebration and special occasions rather than utility.

    How do Scots in Scotland respond to people wearing kilts? Well I can't speak for a nation, but a typical first response to a traditional kilt (implied or stated) is, “What's the occasion / celebration / event / reason?” (wedding, pipe band, rugby match, graduation and so on). Once that is jaloused, and the wearing of the kilt is set into some kind of social context, understanding leads to acceptance. This seems to apply irrespective of ethnicity. Being Scottish is not a prerequisite. We, like most nations, have a small proportion of people who are xenophobic, sectarian and/or tribal (clannish in the negative sense) but they will cause the outsider grief whether or not they are wearing a kilt.

    I, for one, am delighted when I see people wearing a well-tailored kilt, be they Scottish or not. If I know they are not then I take it as a compliment they they should have gone to the trouble and expense to wear our national dress. I am particularly pleased to see young people in kilts, and can readily overlook the boots, scrunched hose and hipster waist … by the time they get married, most of them will have matured their dress sense and will look great for their weddings (as long as the shops and hire companies do the job right). Some may even join this forum and be much better informed of the history of this Scottish icon.

    Iain
    Here's tae us, Whas like us... Deil the Yin!

  3. #223
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by MacRobert's Reply View Post
    I have only just got to this lengthy, entertaining and very informative exchange. I am a Scot . . .
    Iain
    Thank you for a very thoughtful and enlightening post!
    Ken

    "The best things written about the bagpipe are written on five lines of the great staff" - Pipe Major Donald MacLeod, MBE

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