Englishmum

Did you know that in 1988 the US Senate voted to recognise April 6th as "National Tartan Day"?

http://www.tartanweekny.com/About_Tartan_Week17.html

In New York they're actually having a 'Tartan Week' festival:

http://www.tartanweekny.com/

and in the next town to where I live in NJ (Summit) there is a 'Clan Currie' society...they're having a special exhibit about Scottish immigrants at Ellis Island until the end of May which will be opened by Mayor Bloomberg tomorrow April 1st:

http://www.clancurrie.org/

My husband (Englishman!) is planning to run in the Scottish Race at Central Park on Sunday as he's hoping to qualify to run in the New York Marathon later in the year - personally I'm mystified as to why anyone would ever want to run in a marathon but I guess it's 'horses for courses'!!!:

http://www.tartanweekny.com/cgi-bin/events.cgi?03

Bob

To go along with st paddy's day? hmmm...

doctor scrumpy

I shall be celebrating 23rd April, St George's Day. The Memsahib & I will be enjoying some fine English Zider after the U-10 girl's game.

Bob

nice
Wouldn't even get a mention in this country though does it...

clydegirl

I never knew.Shame I just moved from NJ last year.There is a Scottish butcher in Brick NJ ,have a lot of good stuff

ScotsmanInTexas

[QUOTE=Englishmum]Did you know that in 1988 the US Senate voted to recognise April 6th as "National Tartan Day"?

Yes disturbing isn't it! I think it's complete and utter rubbish and I'm obviously of the Scottish persuasion. I mean if they are going to have such a day then it should be in keeping with the Irish St Patricks day and it could only then be St. Andrews on the 30th November. I don't know why they don't also have a St. Georges Day.

I think Tartan Day was best summed up for me when I heard a TV interviewer interview a lady who turned out for it dressed in a weird gaudy costume - sort of patchwork quilt thing of all kinds of tartanalia (I even spotted bits of a car blanket in there). "I also turn out for St Paddy's day" said she proudly then added I think my Scots-Irish (bullshit Americanism hehe) ancestors lived somewhere along the border???!!! "Well I hope they were good swimmers" replied the interviewer. She looked a little puzzled so he added the border between Scotland and Ireland is the Irish sea!

I mean come on it's a joke. :-D The best example of something like this comes from an Irish friend of mine who was on holiday in NY during St. Patricks day, he said he was actually quite emberassed by it and hated the way they fawned over him as soon as he opened his mouth.

The average American doesn't have a scooby about who they are or where they come from. Many of them are of Generic British (English, Scots, Welsh, Northern Irish), German or East European descent and their names are anything but Irish, but on that day they insist they are Irish etc.. etc... It's a little embarassing when they start this nonsense.

Then of course there's the American lady who told me she'd heard "there's nothing better than marching through the heather with your kilt on". (which sounds oddly enough like a line of an Andy Stewart song) "I see", I replied politely then replied, "Thistles, midgies, nettles and adders would prevent me from ever actually trying that out for myself!". :scared:

But back to Tartan day. There is of course that mockery of a memory of Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell in his erm... 'Scottish' costume of last year. Looking like a complete joke and farce and just a bit camp in his grey skirt! But then as any true Scot will tell you, the Kilt is a highland myth and most of todays tartans were invented by the 19th century weaver Wilson of Bannockburn, as was the then fashion.

tony_2003

Aye it’s all bollocks. Most people are unaware that lowlanders never wore kilts and yet folk in Edinburgh and Glasgow wear them to weddings etc...Including my brother who I mocked ruthlessly.

ScotsmanInTexas

Yep, it's all bollox,and the worst offenders are the ones that wear a football teams tartan to their weddings as my cousin did. Joke of it is his own tartan is almost the same colours. My Dad wore a kilt to his wedding - but then he was a Seaforth Highlander at the time! ;-) So unless you are in uniform why are you trying to dress like a Brigadeer?

Which brings me nicely to Prince Charlie jackets, damn I hate those I want to hit people in them, they all look like Andy Stewart. Now why can't they wear the Argyll which is better tailored and doesn't make them look like a complete fanny whose about to burst into song?

What annoys me most is the ex-pats who go abroad having never worn a kilt in their lives and suddenly have to buy a kilt and all the trimmings and strut about like the Laird o' Cockpen. I came across one recently who has a badgers napper as his sporran. I said to him, walk doon Argyle Street dressed like that on a Saturday night ye'd likely get 'kilt' and it would be your heid on somebody's sporran.

Englishmum

What about Rod Stewart then? He's more of a Londoner than a Scot...I don't think he even has any property in Scotland does he? (He has a big house at the Copped Hall Estate in Epping, Essex....used to see him at one of the local country pubs with his kids when he was still with Rachel Hunter).

doctor scrumpy

Or that well known Scotsman Jim Davidson.

Lesley1020

LMAO...

Now, I should have known what way my marriage was headed when he showed up in a Rangers Tartan kilt

Celtic_Angel

aww who cares i think Sean Connery and Mel Gibson looked damn hot in their Tartan kilts...I knew a scotish woman who showed me wedding picci's were all the men were in kilts...hubba hubba...it helps if he's a gorgeous hunk of course

clydegirl

You can't beat a man in a kilt,especially if he's got a good pair of legs
My dad wore a kilt to my wedding Royal Stewart of course.

Haggischomper

Scotch-Irish is not a bullshit Americanism.
Personally, I am proud to wear my kilt especially with the Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket. And I look nothing like Andy Stewart I hasten to add. In fact, Andy Stewart tended to wear the Argyll.
I've never heard of anyone being thumped in Argyle Street for wearing a kilt.
Jim Davidson and Rod Stewart both had Scottish fathers.
Jack McConnell is a bigotted prick.
Football team tartans suck the teat of Mama Tackiness.
St Paddy's Day and Tartan Day also suck the teat of Mama Tackiness but if Tartan Day means I can finally find some ****ing haggis in this country then I am all for it!

tony_2003

Arent you from Motherwell?