Scotland Week
Millions of people across the globe can lay claim to Scots descent and now Scotland Week allows people everywhere the chance to celebrate and explore their connections with Scotland.
Perhaps nowhere are these connections as profound as in North America. From music to politics to literature, the impact of the Scots on North American life has been well documented. The very heart of the US constitution is intimately connected with Scotland – the wording of the American Declaration of Independence, the document that separated America from British domination and created a nation, is modelled in part upon the Declaration of Arbroath, the Scottish declaration of independence that was signed on April 6th 1320, nearly five hundred years before its American counterpart. In 1998, in recognition of this connection, the US Senate officially passed a resolution recognising April 6 as National Tartan Day – a tribute to the outstanding contribution of millions of Scots-Americans to American life. The idea had its origins, however, north of the border in Canada, where several provinces had recognised Tartan Day even earlier.
Half the signatories of the original US Declaration of Independence were of Scottish descent, three quarters of all US presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush have had Scottish roots and Canada's Father of Confederation and first Prime Minister was a Scot from Glasgow, Sir John A. Macdonald.
New York has celebrated Tartan Day since 1999 in a variety of events, including the Scotland Run and the Tartan Day Parade highlighting the vibrancy of Scottish culture past and present.
This year the honorary Grand Marshal for the parade is American Football superstar Lawrence Tynes. Tynes – who is the kicker for the legendary New York Giants – is originally from Greenock. His family moved to America in 1989, when he was just ten years old, and the soccer skills Tynes had picked up in the playgrounds of the west coast of Scotland were quickly noticed and converted to American football skills! He soon became the first ever Scottish-born player in the NFL and will proudly be wearing his kilt as he leads the parade up 6th Avenue this April!
Another highlight of the week is likely to be the Scottish Youth Theatre production of 'When a Star Falls', in which the talented young cast will be performing at the Algonquin Theatre on East 24th Street in downtown Manhattan – a long, long way from their usual base in Scotland at the Old Sheriff Court on Brunswick Street in Glasgow!
The festivities in New York will climax with a glittering gala dinner at the famous Metropolitan Club, hosted by the National Trust for Scotland. An evening of Scottish music and food will be accompanied by a whisky tasting and a charity auction, followed by a ceremony where the annual Great Scot Award will be made: this year the recipient will be the Scots writer, Alexander McCall Smith, the novelist responsible for the best-selling series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
And the celebrations are not confined to New York; people all over North America will be uncorking the malt and decking the walls with all shades of Tartan! In Arkansas they've been celebrating Tartan Day since 1997, a full year before the Senate passed its resolution! And from San Diego, California to Dunedin, Florida, and from Calgary to Houston, Tartan Day will be duly commemorated.
Toronto, along with many other parts of Canada has long had a vibrant Scottish population, so it's no surprise to see lots of exciting events taking place there. From 26th March there's the VisitScotland Expo event at First Canadian Place, King Street. Or, if it's music you're after, the same evening sees the Finlay Macdonald Band playing the Gelenfiddich 'Straight Up' concert at the Mill Brewhouse in Foggy Dew, Toronto. For the glitterati there's an invitation-only Scottish Business Reception being held atop the world famous CN Tower on Thursday April 3rd. Check the events calendar listing public and business events across North America and remember, if there is nothing taking place near you this year, you can create your own event to Celebrate Scotland. To find some helpful hints and ideas click here.
And it's not just North Americans who'll be celebrating Scottishness this April. Much further south, in Buenos Aires a huge Tartan Day Parade will take place on Sunday 6 April at 3pm. Starting from the Yacht Club Puerto Madero at the corner of Olga Cossettini and Victoria Ocampo Streets and marching around Dock 4 for 16 blocks. All Scots and their friends are invited to participate displaying something with tartan. The opening celebrations will take place on the esplanade in front of the club and will include the installations of the Grand Marshal, the Queen of the parade and the Key Bearer of the symbolic key to the gate of Arbroath's Abbey. The Buenos Aires Scottish Guard and the Highland Thistle pipe band will lead the parade and a ceremony will take place with the participation of descendants of the Scottish settlers of 1825 who arrived on the ship Symmetry at this same port.
The occasion is an opportunity for participants to remember their cultural heritage and the contributions of Scots and Scots-Argentines to the history and development of Argentina. At the end of the March, pipers will entertain the public and Scottish Country music will be played for the people to dance on the esplanade. The event will be closed with the traditional Highland Toast. Read more about Scotland's links with Argentina.
Tartan Day will continue to be celebrated south of the equator with major events planned across Australia and New Zealand. Tartan Day in Australia is celebrated on 1 July, the day Royal Assent was granted to repeal the Act of Proscription, prohibiting the wearing of any Scottish national dress or the playing of bagpipes! In Melbourne, The Council of Clans of Victoria on the first Sunday in July have a church parade and service at the Scots Church. A Gaelic Bible, carried by the President of the Scottish Gaelic Society, leads the procession and clanspeople with their respective tartans follow the piper into the church. At the conclusion of the service the clanspeople retire to the church hall for lunch followed by appropriate Scottish entertainment. (See Scottish Gaelic Society of Victoria website for contact details.)
So, this April, wherever you are in the world, there's no excuse – Celebrate Scotland. Click here for details of other events.