Wearing A Kilt On Halloween

[Chris Hills]

HA, no but good question! I am american born and bred. My Scots side of the family were in the US before this was a country (living down near you in NC). Far from kilts they were wearing buckskins and opening TN/KY 240 years ago with daniel boone, William Whitley and George Rogers Clark (all ancestors by marriage or blood). Additionally, I infer from your question that you understand scottish history and the alleged kilt we wear today (which is a "modern" construct). I descend from two clans. The border (lowland clan-Home) which probably never wore kilts and their tartan is only dated back to the early 1800's, when a bunch of border clans created their tartans to support the oppressed highlanders. by that time, my Home ancestors were in the colonies and never would have heard of it. My Highland clan Donnachaidh is considered one of the first Celtic clans in Scotland (descended from King Duncan 1). They would have worn the Filamor (belted plaid) though I doubt the tartan we wear existed... and they fought in the jacobite uprisings which (we presume) is why my direct ancestors were in the colonies so early. But any kilts they owned wouldn't have lasted long in the hot, humid southern weather. Perhaps they wore them when they first got here but it wouldn't have lasted long.

So, I wear a kilt to honor my ancestors, not because it was passed down through 20 generations of americans. I do have a belted plaid as well as several "dress kilts" even though those didn't even exist when my ancestors were in scotland. Others may be making a statement or looking for attention and there is nothing wrong with that. It just isn't my reason for wearing a kilt.