What's your Halloween plan for your kilt?

[Jock Scot]

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------------------Kilt itself is not a costume but a garment. That's fine I do get it, but to treat it like as if it's a rare religion sacred object is a bit silly, IMO.

I am in absolute agreement with the above. However, you are missing one salient point which is that the kilt is Scotland's National Attire. No one else's.

Whilst the Scottish voice is a small minority on this website, I cannot help but point out this inconvenient fact to some of the non Scots here and as such, I would respectfully ask that some consideration be given to that fact and where the kilt might be worn, before strapping on your kilt.

[tundramanq]

I am in absolute agreement with the above. However, you are missing one salient point which is that the kilt is Scotland's National Attire. No one else's.

Whilst the Scottish voice is a small minority on this website, I cannot help but point out this inconvenient fact to some of the non Scots here and as such, I would respectfully ask that some consideration be given to that fact and where the kilt might be worn, before strapping on your kilt.

In agreement here. I have always worn a dark solid color Utilikilt etc. as the base of my Halloween garb. I have worn my USAK Sterling casual with a Twilight Zone T-shirt several times, but not for Halloween for the reasoning above. Any other day it is just humorous. But on Halloween the kilt itself is a lot more likely to be seen as costume rather than just part of the whole outfit. This "holiday" is a tricky one. (Pun intended)

The "Where's your bag pipes" wise crack comes from people who view kilts, especially tartan, as "costume". As a full time kilt wearer, for me it is not. It is part of my every day clothing. Although nice, I am not "trolling" for the complements I get.
The Scottish vampire idea is quite good.

[Taskr]

An interesting thread

My halloween tradition has been to visit friends with single malt and share a wee dram. Kilt it will be since they're so accustomed to seeing me in it anyway.

[Leprechaun 91]

Halloween is the only time of the year I refulseto wear my kilt. All too often it is seen as a costume by those not in the know.
I feel that it plays up to that stereotype to wear it on Halloween.
It's now a sacred garment. In fact, I think of them in the same way I think of Jeans. however I don't like to play into the expectations of the non-kilted community.

[Thekiltedmohawk]

Whilst the Scottish voice is a small minority on this website

And valuable respectfully.


I just had a thought at work about this interesting topic.

What's your opinion on us esp the Americans to wear the "Christmas-y theme" kilts of green and red tartans to the home/work holiday parties? To the popular ugly sweater parties, and etc during Christmas weeks?

Is that counted as costume, or still garment?

[Liam]

And valuable respectfully.


I just had a thought at work about this interesting topic.

What's your opinion on us esp the Americans to wear the "Christmas-y theme" kilts of green and red tartans to the home/work holiday parties? To the popular ugly sweater parties, and etc during Christmas weeks?

Is that counted as costume, or still garment?

l have a Clan Claus tartan kilt, which I wear at Christmas, and do so respectfully to honour both my Scottish heritage and the institution of Santa Claus. I would consider wearing that kilt as a joke in an "ugly sweater" mode to degrade both.

[The Q]

In the UK we didn't celebrate Halloween until recently (over the last 30 years) mostly I think because of the influence of American children's films and UK Shops seeing Halloween as a way to make money.

Traditionally we celebrated Burning Guido Fawkes on November the 5th, something that is slowly disappearing as it is seen as Not PC, expensive for the fireworks that go with it, and in major cities Bonfires are banned due to smoke regulations.
For those who don't know Guido Fawkes AKA Guy Fawkes was one of the conspirators in a plot to blow up the houses of parliament, at the state opening by King James I, (VI of Scotland) 1605

Remember, remember, the 5th of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.

I'll add my on Saturday I'll attend My summer sailing clubs end of season, annual dinner and prize giving, fully kilted (its a suit and tie dinner), I will not be kilted at the winter sailing clubs Halloween dinner.

[Jock Scot]

And valuable respectfully.


I just had a thought at work about this interesting topic.

What's your opinion on us esp the Americans to wear the "Christmas-y theme" kilts of green and red tartans to the home/work holiday parties? To the popular ugly sweater parties, and etc during Christmas weeks?

Is that counted as costume, or still garment?

Gosh, how long do you want the answer to be! I have to confess that I have no idea what an "ugly sweater party " is, although perhaps I could guess.

I think it would assist your understanding of kilt attire is to understand that there are huge differences between Scottish culture, particularly Highland culture and North America. For example, we in Scotland don't do Kirking the Tartan, St Patricks Day(they might in Glasgow?), belonging to Clan societies, wearing the kilt at any excuse, Halloween and even Christmas and Easter in the Highlands are very low key affairs. Halloween, Christmas and even Burns nights are beginning to get rather more of a profile in the Highlands now though. On the other hand we tend to let rip at New Year!

To help give you a flavour of Scottish Highland thinking on the kilt etc., can I suggest three past threads of mine that you may find illuminating.

1. Two Telling Comments.
2. Food For Thought.
3. Food For Thought 2.(F4T2).

None of these threads pretends to speak for all Scots, but it does give an interesting insight of some Scot's(mostly Highlanders) thinking which may assist you. No's 2 & 3 may be more interesting to you.

To find these threads, you need to be logged in and then if you click on to Jock Scot next to my avatar you will find in the top left margin something like "old threads started by JS" click on there and several pages of my threads will appear. Seek and you will find!

[Peter Crowe]

In the UK we didn't celebrate Halloween until recently (over the last 30 years) mostly I think because of the influence of American children's films and UK Shops seeing Halloween as a way to make money.

Traditionally we celebrated Burning Guido Fawkes on November the 5th, something that is slowly disappearing as it is seen as Not PC, expensive for the fireworks that go with it, and in major cities Bonfires are banned due to smoke regulations.
For those who don't know Guido Fawkes AKA Guy Fawkes was one of the conspirators in a plot to blow up the houses of parliament, at the state opening by King James I, (VI of Scotland) 1605

Remember, remember, the 5th of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.

I'll add my on Saturday I'll attend My summer sailing clubs end of season, annual dinner and prize giving, fully kilted (its a suit and tie dinner), I will not be kilted at the winter sailing clubs Halloween dinner.

This is probably true of England but not the whole of the UK. 'Hallowe'en' (the name comes from the Scots tongue) was long celebrated in Scotland although it started falling out of fashion during my childhood in the 1970's. The Scots traditions I grew up with included turnip lanterns rather than pumpkins and 'guising' around the neighbourhood (similar to what Americans call trick-er treating the difference being you had to sing a song/tell a story or Joke in order to get treats which included peanuts in the shell and mandarin oranges as well as candies), dookin for aipples (dunking for apples), and eating treacle covered soda scones off a washing line etc. Admittedly, my parents were traditional about such older customs and kept them longer than most. We also observed the traditional Scots form of New Year and never touched a drop of alcohol on Hogmonay which was a day of preparation for the Bells when we saw in the New Year with our favourite alcoholic beverage, and thereafter with first-footing and partying in our neighbourhood.

Hallowe'en was primarily a night for children dressing up in fancy dress costumes (occasionally adults who were the parents and grandparents of younger children too) and not an evening I ever associated with wearing the kilt.

Guy Fawkes has become popular in urban Scotland because older kids love fireworks. When I lived in Glasgow's Maryhill it was a terrifying night for elderly folk and domestic pets. The Neds (Chavs) loved it and ran amok being a pain in the ar*e to everyone particularly the Fire Brigade and the Police. However, it is not a traditional Scots celebration and only became popularised from down south with the widespread use of television from the 1950's and 60's.

[Jock Scot]

I really don't recall any Halloween type things in the rural Highlands in my youth, perhaps partly because there was a war going on. After the war in the rural highlands where lack of transport and distances were a real hinderance to life, it was only weddings and funerals where there were any significant gathering of family and friends. In passing I don't recall Halloween being mentioned down South in England until the late 1990's.Now transport, communications, television for all that raise people's expectations which go to make the world a smaller place and I suppose one of the consequences of that is these "celebrations" are now almost common knowledge worldwide.