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Scottish Culture

Scotland has a very interesting and rich culture. Its long history has contributed much to the traditions that still stand today. Whether it be its literature, music, art, food, clothing, or sports, Scotland has a lot to offer.

Scotland has contributed many novelists and poets to the world of literature. Such poets include Sydney Good sir Smith, Norman McClain, Iain Crichton Smith, Edwin Morgan, George Mackay Brown and Robert Grinch.

Poet Sorely Maclean (1911-1996), also known as Somhairle MacGill-Eain in Gaelic, helped to prove that the Gaelic language could have traditional expression. Douglas Dunn and Liz Loch head appeared during the 1960s and 1970s as revered poets of the time. Within recent years, Robert Crawford, Carol Anne Duffy, and Don Patterson have created their own reputations as Scottish poets. One of the most notable Scottish writers of all time is Robert Burns.

Known as the immortal Rabbie, Burns wrote the words to Old Lang Synge, the song sung around the world every New Year’s Eve. Booker Prize winner James Kelman, Alasdair Gray, Lain Banks and Irvine Welsh are also popular novelists and short fiction writers.

The movie Train spotting, directed by Danny Boyle and based on Welsh novel of Edinburg’s drug culture, has attracted a cult following like that of a rock band. Sir Walter Scott is also another very famous novelist from Scotland.

With music from classical to rock to jazz and folk, Scottish musicians are able to attract inter-national audiences.  Known for its versatility and unique programming, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with folk-rock bands like Run rig successfully combines rock music with traditional Gaelic music and song.

Country-dance music is also very popular among the Scots. Of course there are few people today who do not equate bagpipes to Scotland. Although the history of the pipes is unknown, the ancient Greeks and the Irish are both known to have had instruments that resembled the bagpipes.   It is estimated that the pipes were most likely created by the Romans.

However, the Scots popularized the instrument by playing it during battle assembly as well as during battle. The fiddle is also a very popular instrument in Scotland.  The greatest fiddler of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was Neil Gow. With so many different types of music came many different styles of dancing.

Most Scottish dancing is quick and involves a lot of foot movement. Both men and women dance solo and group Highland dances. The proper footwear is a soft leather heel-less shoe that ties up the leg. Every year for three continuous weeks, a festival called the Edinburgh Festival brings together some of the best musicians, dancers, andjictprs from around the world. This gathering attracts thousands of tourists and has been going on for over half a century. It is the ultimate cultural event.

The fine arts do not have an esteemed tradition in Scotland. The country is known for little artistry but it holds on to what bit it is known for. Scotland’s silver was well known in the eighteenth century for its simple lines and expert craftsmanship.

Some of the finest Scottish silversmiths contributed to the culture of the New World when they immigrated to North America. Many contemporary Scottish artists are clinging to the past by pursuing the traditional crafts of weaving, silversmithing., and carving.

For the past two hundred years, tea has been the most popular drink in Scotland. Scottish children are given tea from and early age and are often weaned from the bottle to a milky tea mixture. Many Scottish women do a lot of baking at home and are usually good cooks.

Most Scots groyv their own vegetables for home consumption. Since the climate there is seldom hot, a lot of soups and stews are prepared. Potatoes are a staple in Scottish cuisine. Many Scots believe that if you don’t eat potatoes once a day you will probably wither away and die. A traditional Scottish breakfast includes bacon and fried eggs with sausage, fried mushrooms and tomatoes, fried bread or potato scones.

This is all in addition to juice, porridge, cereal, and toast and other bread products. The most common breakfast item is porridge. Haggis, a type of large sausage, is considered the most Scottish food of all.

A group of Scots called the Highlanders are responsible for creating tartan, which we know as plaid. Scottish men are well known for wearing kilts made of tartan. Scotland is also very famous for other woolens and tweeds. The kilt is specifically a Highland dress, and only about one-third of Scotland’s inhabitants are technically entitled to wear it.

Women wear a version of the kilt called a kilted skirt that does not use as much material and fits a woman’s hips much better. When fully dressed in the daytime Highland dress, a man wears the kilt with a plain shirt and tartan tie, a rough tweed jacket, a sporran, woolen hose (knee-sock type), and brogues.

The sporran is a purse held by chains that hang down at the lap. Sporrans come in different styles and are usually made of leather or fur. On his head he can wear either a Balmorals bonnet or a Glengarry (a hat shaped like an upturned rowboat with two ribbons hanging down behind).

For eveningwear, a man would wear a jacket and a shirt with ruffles. The material of the kilt would be much finer and the shoes much shinier. A woman may wear a long white dress with a silken tartan sash over her shoulder for evening-wear. You may ask, what do men wear under the kilts? Most wear something under the kilts such as a small pair of matching tartan shorts called trews. It’s a different story for men

More Scottish Culture Articles

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1. “scottish History” News Release
2. Scotland: The Autobiography 2,000 Years of Scottish History By Those Who Saw It Happen
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