Did you know that Highland games are events held throughout the year in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands? Certain aspects of the games are so well known as to have become emblematic of Scotland, such as the bagpipes, the kilt and the heavy events, especially the caber toss.
While centred on competitions in piping and drumming, dancing, and
Scottish heavy athletics, the games also include entertainment and
exhibits related to other aspects of Scottish and Gaelic culture.
HEAVY EVENTS
In their original form many centuries ago, Highland games gatherings centered around athletic and sporst competitions. Though other activities were always a part of the
festivities, many today still consider that Highand athletics are what
the games are all about - in short, that the athletics are the Games,
and all the other activities are just entertainment.It
remains true today that the athletic competitions are at least an
integral part of the events and one - the caber toss - has come to
almost symbolize the Highland games.
Although quite a range of events can be a part of the Highland athletics competition, a few have become standard.
Caber toss:
a long tapered wooden pole or log is stood upright and hoisted by the
competitor who balances it vertically holding the smaller end in his
hands. Then the competitor runs forward attempting to toss it in such a
way that it turns end over end with first, the upper (larger) end
striking the ground and then the smaller end, originally held by the
athlete, following through and in turn striking the ground in the 12
o'clock position measured relative to the direction of the run. If
successful, the athlete is said to have turned the caber. Cabers vary
greatly in length and weight, both factors increasing the difficulty of a
successful toss. Competitors are judged on how closely their throws
approximate the ideal 12 o'clock toss.
Stone put: this event is similar to the modern-day shot put
as seen in the Olympic Games. However, instead of a steel ball, a large
stone, of variable weight, is used. There are also some differences
from the Olympic shot put in allowable techniques. The Highland games
stone put exists in two versions. One version, called the "Braemar
stone", uses a 20 to 26 pound stone for the men (13 to 18 pounds for
women). It is a standing put in which no run up to the toeboard or
"trig" is allowed. The other version, called the "Open Stone", uses a 16
to 22 pound stone for the men (8 to 12 pounds for women). The athlete
is allowed to use any throwing style, including a spin, provided that
the stone is delivered with one hand.
Scottish hammer throw: this event is similar to the hammer throw
as seen in modern-day track and field competitions, though with some
differences. In the Scottish event, a round metal ball (weighing 16 or
22 lbs for the men or 12 or 16 lbs for women) is attached to the end of a
shaft about 4 feet in length and made out of wood, bamboo, rattan, or
plastic. With the feet in a fixed position, the hammer is whirled about
one's head and thrown for distance over either the right or left
shoulder. If conditions and event rules permit, hammer throwers may use
special equipment consisting of flat blades attached to the footwear
which are used to dig into the turf to maintain their balance and resist
the centrifugal forces of the implement as it is whirled about the
head. This substantially increases the distance attainable in the throw.
Weight throw: also known as the weight for distance event. There are actually two
separate events, one using a light (28 lb for men, or 14 lb for women)
and the other a heavy (56 lb for men, 42 lb for masters men, and 28 lb
for women) weight. The weights are made of metal and have a handle
either directly attached to the weight or attached to the weight by
means of a chain. The implement is thrown using one hand only, but
otherwise using any technique. Usually a spinning technique is employed.
The longest throw wins.
Weight over the bar: also know as weight for height. The athletes attempt to toss a 56 pound
weight with an attached handle over a horizontal bar using only one
hand.
Sheaf toss:
A bundle of straw (the sheaf) weighing 20 pounds (9 kg) for the men and
10 pounds (4.5 kg) for the women and wrapped in a burlap bag is tossed
vertically with a pitchfork over a raised bar much like that used in
pole vaulting.
In the 19th century, the athletic competitions at Highland games
events resembled more closely a track and field meet of modern times.
Some of the games preserve this tradition by holding competitions is
these events. This could include, in addition to standard track and
field events, a tug-of-war, kilted mile run and other foot races, shinty
(a game somewhat like field hockey and dating back to the 18th century
or earlier), and the stone carry.
Many of the Heavy Events competitors in Scottish highland
athletics are former high school and college track and field athletes
who find the Scottish games are a good way to continue their competitive
careers.
For many Highland games festival attendees, the most memorable of all
the events at the games is the massing of the pipe bands. Normally held
in conjunction with the opening and closing ceremonies of the games, as
many as 20 or more pipe bands will march and play together. The result
is a thunderous rendition of traditional favorites Scotland the Brave or Amazing Graze, and other crowd-pleasing favorites.
It is, in fact, the music of the bagpipe which has come to symbolize music at the Games and, indeed, in Scotland
itself. In addition to the massed bands, nearly all Highland games
gatherings feature a wide range of piping and drumming competition,
including solo piping and drumming, small group ensembles and, of
course, the pipe bands themselves.
But the pipes and drums are not the only music which can be heard
at Highland games. Music at Highland games gatherings takes on a
variety of forms. Many such events offer fiddling, harp circles, Celtic bands and other forms of musical entertainment, the latter usually spiced with a healthy amount of bagpipe music.
Dancing
There are two basic forms of dancing at modern Highland Games gatherings. Scottish country dancing is a social dance like ballroom dancing or square dancing, the latter of which is related to Scottish country dancing.
The other type of dancing which one can see at Highland Games events is the highly competitive and technical form known as Highland dancing. This again takes two forms. First there are the traditional Highland dances - the Sword Dance (or Gillie Calum), the Highland fling, the Highland Reel, and the Seann Triubhas.
Highland dancing, in all its competitive forms, is a very
technical dance form, requiring many hours of practice and training over
a period of several years in order to perfect. In this respect, it has
more in common with ballet
than with the social dancing of the Scottish Country Dance. In
addition, the Highland dances are typically perfomed solo, unlike
country dancing. Even the Reel, which is performed with other dancers,
is judged on an individual basis.
Many Highland gatherings worldwide, and almost all in the United States, recognize the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing
(SOBHD), formed in 1950, as the world governing body of Highland
dancing. The SOBHD standardizes the dance steps, establishes rules for
competitions and attire, certifies competitions and instructors and the
like. In addition, a World Highland Dance Championship, sanctioned by the SOBHD, has been held annually at the Cowal Highland Gathering since 1948.
Historically, the Highland dances were danced only by men. This
came about as the result of the nature and origin of the dances
themselves as well as the fact that during the years of Proscription,
only military regiments were permitted to adopt Highland attire and
practice the traditions such as dancing.
But late in the 19th Century, a young woman named Jenny Douglas
decided to enter a Highland dance competition. As this was not
expressely forbidden, she was allowed to enter and since then, the
number of females participating in the sport has increased until today
in excess of 95% of all dancers are female. There have been several
female World Highland Dance Champions crowned at the Cowal Gathering
since they began organizing the competition in 1948.
OTHER EVENTS
At modern-day Highland Games events, a wide variety of other
activities and events are generally available. Foremost among these are
the clan
tents and vendors of Scottish related goods. The various clan societies
make the Highland games one of the main foci of their seasonal
activities, usually making an appearance at as many such events as
possible. Visitors can find out information about their Scottish roots
and can become active in their own clan society if they wish.
In addition to the clan societies, Games visitors can usually find a number of other Scottish groups represented, such as the Scottish-American Military Society, which often serves as color guard during the opening and closing ceremonies, and the Caledonian Society.
A variety of informational booths, exhibits, and demonstrations can
also be seen, especially at the larger games. This might inlcude
information on genealogy,
the Gaelic language, exhibits on sheep shearing and weaving, and a
variety of lectures on topics related to Scottish traditions.
Reconstructionist groups such as the Historic Highlanders and the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism)
can be found at some of the Games. These groups reasearch Scottish
history and attempt to recreate a picture of the life and habits,
including garb, skills, culture and various items of times past, in the
Scottish Highlands.
Merchant vendors are almost always a part of the games as well.
The larger games will feature a wide assortment of such vendors offering
such things as music recordings (bagpipe bands and groups, Scottish and
Celtic entertainment groups), music equipment and supplies (bagpipes,
drums, music scores, band equipment), books on a wide assortment of
things Scottish, Celtic and Irish arts and crafts, and imports from
Scotland and the United Kingdom, including an assortment of gift and
souvenir items. And of course, there will be kiltmakers and vendors of
tartan goods (kilts, blankets, ties, scarves) and kilt accessories.
Animals are also a part of many Highland games events, with Scottish terriers being perhaps the most familiar. Shelties and border collies can also be seen where many of the Games feature herding competitions involving sheep or geese. Highland cattle
are also fairly common at the Games. This is a long haired, shaggy
breed with sweeping horns especially adapted to harsh climates and
sparse grazing conditions.
Various traditional and modern Celtic arts are often showcased. This could include Harpist's circles, Scottish country dancing,
and one or more entertainment stages. In addition, most events usuallly
feature a pre-event ceilidh (a type of social event with traditional
music, song, and other forms of entertainment).
Finally, event visitors can sample a variety of specialty
Scottish foods such as shortbread, bangers, meat pies, Irn-bru, scones,
and haggis.
ENJOY THE TRAILER
Sources: http://highlandgames.wikia.com/wiki/Highland_games
Video source: youtube.com
Celts have used checked material for thousands of years. And the Scoti in
particular, who settled from the 5th century and gave the country their name,
are said to have used striped garments to signify rank.
Today tartan has become a key symbol of Scottish Culture and an emblem of
Scottish descent around the world.
It is most notably worn as the kilt, plaids, or other Highland Dress.
The term Highland dress describes the traditional dress of Scotlans. It is often characterised by tartan (plaid in North America) patterns in some form. Male highland dress includeskilt (trews), sporran, sgian dugh and ghillies. Ghillies,
or ghillie brogues, are traditional thick soled shoes with no tongues
and long laces. The laces are wrapped around and tied above the wearer's
ankles so that the shoes do not get pulled off in mud. The shoes lack
tongues so the wearer's feet can dry more quickly in typically damp
Scottish weather. The ghillie brogue is named after the ghillie, the traditional Scottish gamekeeper and outdoorsman. Female highland dress includes women's shoes, also called ghillies,
that are tied in the same way but have thin soles for indoor wear and
dancing. Traditionally, women and girls do not wear kilts but may wear
ankle-length tartan skirts. A tartan sash or shawl may also be worn.
Women may also wear dress tartans which are modified versions which include white in place of a more prominent colour.
Near the end of the seventeenth century, Martin Marnit gave a description of traditional women's clothing in the Western Islands, the arisaid with its brooches and buckles.
"The ancient dress wore by the women, and which is yet wore by some of the vulgar, called arisad, is a white plaid,
having a few small stripes of black, blue and red; it reached from the
neck to the heels, and was tied before on the breast with a buckle of
silver or brass, according to the quality of the person. I have seen
some of the former of an hundred marks value; it was broad as any
ordinary pewter plate, the whole curiously engraven with animals etc. There was a lesser buckle which was wore in the middle of the larger, and above two ounces weight; it had in the centre a large piece of crystal
or some finer stone, and this was set all around with several finer
stones of a lesser size. The plaid being pleated all round, was tied
with a belt below the breast; the belt was of leather, and several
pieces of silver intermixed with the leather like a chain. The lower end
of the belt has a piece of plate about eight inches long, and three in
breadth, curiously engraven; the end of which was adorned with fine
stones, or pieces of red coral. They wore sleeves of scarlet cloth,
closed at the end as men's vests, with gold lace round them, having
plate buttons with fine stones. The head dress was a fine kerchief of
linen strait (tight) about the head, hanging down the back taper-wise; a
large lock of hair hangs down their cheeks above their breast, the
lower end tied with a knot of ribbands.
Other ideas about the origin
It was in the August of 1822 when what we still refer to as Highland
dress started its move centre stage to become the national dress of
Scotland.
Before this the Scottish Highland Dress, of course has a long history. The
original covering of the Highland male was the Celtic feile-breacan or belted
plaid. It was a piece of tartan cloth four yards long and two yards wide folded
around the waist and held in position by a belt. The lower part fell to the
knees and the upper part was drawn over the left shoulder leaving the right
arm free for action. In due course the upper and lower parts of the plaid would
be separated, the feile-breacan now becoming the feile-beag and the lower part
with it's folds stitched eventually became the kilt.
The plaid became an item of dress also worn by ladies, as Edmund Bert writing in the 1720s would point out:
' The plaid is the undress of the ladies; and to a genteel woman, who
adjusts it with good air, is a becoming veil. It is made of silk or
fine worsted, chequered with various colours; is brought over the head,
and may hide or discover the face according to the wearer's fancy or
occasion; it reaches the waist behind; one corner falls as low as the
ankle on one side; the other part, in folds, hangs down from the
opposite arm'.
Morning dress
The morning suit version of Highland dress consists of:
Black (or charcoal) semi-formal kilt jacket in superfine wool or
barathea; Argyll-, Crail-, and Braemar-style jackets are suitable
Five- or six-button waistcoat in black, grey, putty, or tartan
Kilt
White shirt with turndown collar, French cuffs, and cufflinks
Tie in a single colour
Black brogues
Tartan, argyle, diced, or dark hose (white and off-white hose should be avoided)
Flashes or garter ties
Day Dress sporran. These have less intricate designs and are often black leather. However a full dress sporran is not considered inappropriate
Day Dress sgian dubh Again less intricate than a full dress one, these are typically made of horn or antler.
Black barathea jacket with silver buttons—Regulation Doublet, Prince Charlie, Brian Boru, Braemar, Argyll, and black mess jackets are
suitable. There is some contention about whether the Duke of Montrose
and Sheriffmuir doublets are too formal for black-tie occasions.
Matching or tartan waistcoat
Kilt
White shirt with shirt studs, French or barrel cuffs, and a turn-down collar (wing collars are reserved for white tie in most locales)
Black bow tie or white lace jabot
Evening dress brouges
Silk flashes or garter ties
Dress sporran with silver chain
Black, silver-mounted Sgian dubh
Dirk (optional)
Highland bonnet with crest badge (only suitable out of doors)
White tie
The traditional white-tie version of Highland dress consists of:
Formal kilt doublet in barathea or velvet— the regulation doublet,
Montrose doublet, Sheriffmuir doublet, and Kenmore doublet are suitable
in a variety of colours
Waistcoast in white marcella, tartan (to match the kilt), or the same material as
the doublet; no waistcoat is worn with the Kenmore doublet
Kilt with formal kilt pin
White stiff-front shirt with wing collar and white, gold, or silver
studs and cufflinks for the regulation doublet, or a white formal shirt
and optional lace cuffs for the Montrose, Sheriffmuir, and Kenmore
doublets
White lace jabot;
a black silk or white marcella bow tie may be worn in place of the
jabot with the regulation doublet (highland wear often includes a black
bow tie even at white-tie events)
Black formal shoes or black buckle brogues
Tartan
Silk garter flashes or garter ties
Silver-mounted Sporran in fur, sealskin, or hair with a silver chain belt
Black, silver-mounted, and jeweled sqian dubh
Short belted plaid with silver plaid brooch (optional)
Scottish dirk (optional)
Highland bonnet with badge (only worn out of doors)
The tartan
A tartan pattern emerges out of a single list of
coloured threads called a thread count.
Reading a tartan requires a little practice and involves finding two
unique points within the pattern called the
pivots.
Tartans consist of broader bands of colour called the under
check which are often decorated or embellished with narrower lines
of colour called the over
check.
Once the basic possibilities are understood, one can better appreciate
designs that combine and extend the simple ideas. The largest
group of tartan uses the three-colour design of Black Watch as its
basis.
Today tartan may be mostly associated with Scotland; however, the
earliest evidence of tartan is found far afield from the British Isles.
According to the textile historian E. J. W. Barber, the Hallstatt culture
of Central Europe, which is linked with ancient Celtic populations and
flourished between 400 BC to 100 BC, produced tartan-like textiles. Some
of them were recently discovered, remarkably preserved, in Salzburg, Austria. . Similar finds have been found in central Europe and Scandinavia. The earliest documented tartan in Britain, known as the "Falkirk" tartan, dates from the 3rd century AD. It was uncovered at Falkirk in Stirlingshire, Scotland, about 400 metres north-west of the Antonine Wall.
The fragment was stuffed into the mouth of an earthenware pot
containing almost 2,000 Roman coins. The Falkirk tartan has a simple
check design, of natural light and dark wool. Early forms of tartan like
this are thought to have been invented in pre-Roman times, and would
have been popular among the inhabitants of the northern Roman provinces as well as in other parts of Northern Europe such as Jutland, where the same pattern was prevalent.
Tartan as we know it today, is not thought to have existed in
Scotland before the 16th century. By the late 16th century there are
numerous references to striped or checkered plaids.
For many centuries the patterns were loosely associated with the weavers of a particular area, though it was common for highlanders to wear a number of different tartans at the same time. A 1587 charter granted to Hector Maclean of Duart requires feu duty on land paid as 60 ells of cloth of white, black and green colours. A witness of the 1689 Battle of Killiecrankie describes "McDonnell's men in their triple stripes". From 1725 the government force of the Highland Independent Companies introduced a standardised tartan chosen to avoid association with any particular clan, and this was formalised when they became the Black Watch regiment in 1739.
The most effective fighters for Jacobitism were the supporting Scottish clans, leading to an association of tartans with the Jacobite cause. Efforts to pacify the Highlands led to the 1746 Dress Act
banning tartans except for the Highland regiments of the British army.
″[I]t was probably their use of it which gave birth to the idea of
differentiating tartan by clans; for as the Highland regiments were
multiplied ... so their tartan uniforms were differentiated." The Act was repealed in 1782 due to the efforts of the Highland Society of London. William Wilson & Sons of Bannockburn
became the foremost weaving manufacturer around 1770 as suppliers of
tartan to the military. Wilson corresponded with his agents in the
Highlands to get information and samples of cloth from the clan
districts to enable him to reproduce "perfectly genuine patterns" and
recorded over 200 setts by 1822, many of which were tentatively named.
The Cockburn Collection of named samples made by Wilsons was put together between 1810 and 1820 and is now in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. At this time many setts were simply numbered, or given fanciful names such as the "Robin Hood" tartan, not associated with any specific clan.
By the 19th century the Highland romantic revival, inspired by James Macpherson's Ossian poems and the writings of Walter Scott, led to wider interest, with clubs like the Celtic Society of Edinburgh welcoming Lowlanders. The pageantry invented for the 1822 visit of King George IV to Scotland brought a sudden demand for tartan cloth and made it the national dress
of the whole of Scotland rather than just the Highlands and Islands,
with the invention of many new clan-specific tartans to suit.
The kilt is a knee-length garment with plents at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly. It is most often made of woolen cloth in a tartan pattern.
Although the kilt is most often worn on formal occasions and at Highland games
and sports events, it has also been adapted as an item of fashionable
informal male clothing in recent years, returning to its roots as an
everyday garment.
The History of the Kilt stretches back to at least the end of the 16th century. The kilt first appeared as the belted plaid or great kilt, a full length garment whose upper half could be worn as a cloak draped over the shoulder, or brought up over head as a cloak. The small kilt or walking kilt
(similar to the 'modern' kilt) did not develop until the late 17th or
early 18th century, and is essentially the bottom half of the great
kilt.
The word kilt comes from the Scots word kilt meaning to tuck up the clothes around the body, although the 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (vol. 15, p. 798) says the word is Scandinavian in origin. The Scots word derives from the Old Norse kjalta, from Norse settlers who wore a similar, pleated garment.
The Great kilt
The Breacan an Fhéilidh (belted plaid) or Féileadh Mòr
(great plaid) is likely to have evolved over the course of the 16th
century from the earlier 'brat' or woollen cloak (also known as plaid)
which was worn over a tunic. This earlier cloak or brat may have been
plain in colour or in various check or tartan designs, depending on the
wealth of the wearer; this earlier fashion of clothing had not changed
significantly from that worn by Celtic warriors in Roman times.
Over the course of the 16th century, with the increasing availability
of wool, the cloak had grown to such a size that it began to be
gathered up and belted. The belted kilt
was originally a length of thick woollen cloth made up from two loom
widths sewn together to give a total width of 54 to 60 inches, and up to
7 yards (6.4 m) in length.
For battle it was customary to take off the kilt beforehand and set it aside, the Highland charge being made wearing only the léine or war shirt.
The exact age of the great kilt is still under debate. Earlier
carvings or illustrations prior to the 16th century appearing to show
the kilt may show the léine croich, a knee-length shirt of leather, linen or canvas,
heavily pleated and sometimes quilted as protection. The earliest
written source that definitely describes the belted plaid or great kilt
comes from 1594.
The great kilt is mostly associated with the Scottish highlands, but
was also used in poor lowland rural areas. Widespread use of this type
of kilt continued into the 19th century, and some still wear it today.
The Small kilt
Sometime in the late 17th or early 18th century the fèileadh beag,
filibeg, or philabeg (the small kilt) using a single width of cloth
hanging down below the belt came into use and became quite popular
throughout the Highlands and northern Lowlands by 1746, though the great
kilt also continued in use. The small kilt or philabeg is a clear
development from the great kilt, i.e. it is essentially the bottom half
of the great kilt.
.
After the Jacobite campaign of 1715 the government was "opening" the
Highlands to outside exploitation and Rawlinson was one of the
businessmen who took advantage of the situation. It was thought that the
traditional Highland kilt, the "belted plaid" which consisted of a
large cloak, was inconvenient for tree cutters. He supposedly brought
the Highland garment to a tailor, intent on making it more practical.
The tailor responded by cutting it in two. Rawlinson took this back and
then introduced the new kilt.
The first instance we have of the pleats being sewn in to the
philabeg, creating a true tailored kilt, comes in 1792. This kilt,
currently in the possession of the Scottish Tartans Authority,
is the first garment that can truly be called a 'modern' kilt as we
know it today. Up until this point, the kilt was folded, rather than
pleated. This development served to speed the donning of the kilt and
was brought into use by the Scottish regiments serving in the British Army. The tailored military kilt and its
formalised accessories then passed to the civilian market during the
early 19th century and has remained popular ever since.
The Scottish kilt displays uniqueness of design, construction, and
convention which differentiate it from other garments fitting the
general description. It is a tailored garment that is wrapped around the
wearer's body at the natural waist (between the lowest rib and the hip)
starting from one side (usually the wearer's left), around the front
and back and across the front again to the opposite side. The fastenings
consist of straps and buckles on both ends, the strap on the inside end
usually passing through a slit in the waistband to be buckled on the
outside; alternatively it may remain inside the waistband and be buckled
inside.
A kilt covers the body from the waist down to the centre of the
knees. The overlapping layers in front are called "aprons" and are flat;
the single layer of fabric around the sides and back is pleated. A kilt pin
is fastened to the front apron on the free corner (but is not passed
through the layer below, as its function is to add weight). Underwear
may or may not be worn, as the wearer prefers, although tradition has it
that a "true Scotsman" should wear nothing under his kilt. The Scottish Tartans Authority, however, has described the practice as childish and unhygienic.
Organizations that sanction and grade the competitions in Highland dancing and bagpiping
all have rules governing acceptable attire for the competitors. These
rules specify that kilts are to be worn (except that in the national
dances, the female competitors will be wearing the Aboyne dress).
Design and construction
Fabrics
The typical kilt as seen at modern Highland games events is made of twill woven wosted wool. The twill weave used for kilts is a "2–2 type", meaning that each weft thread passes over and under two warp threads at a time. The result is a distinctive diagonal-weave pattern
in the fabric which is called the twill line. This kind of twill, when
woven according to a given sett or written colour pattern, is called tartan.
Kilting fabric weights are given in ounces per yard and run from the
very-heavy, regimental worsted of approximately 18–22 ounces (510–620 g)
down to a light worsted of about 10–11 ounces (280–310 g). The most
common weights for kilts are 13 ounces (370 g) and 16 ounces (450 g).
The heavier weights are more appropriate for cooler weather, while the
lighter weights would tend to be selected for warmer weather or for
active use, such as Highland dancing. Some patterns are available in
only a few weights.
A modern kilt for a typical adult uses about 6–8 yards of
single-width (about 26–30 inches) or about 3–4 yards of double-width
(about 54–60 inches) tartan fabric. Double-width fabric is woven so that
the pattern exactly matches on the selvage. Kilts are usually made without a hem
because a hem would make the garment too bulky and cause it to hang
incorrectly. The exact amount of fabric needed depends upon several
factors including the size of the sett, the number of pleats put into
the garment, and the size of the person. For a full kilt, 8 yards of
fabric would be used regardless of size and the number of pleats and
depth of pleat would be adjusted according to their size. For a very
large waist, it may be necessary to use 9 yards of cloth.
Setts
One of the most-distinctive features of the authentic Scots kilt is the tartan pattern, the sett,
it exhibits. The association of particular patterns with individual
clans and families can be traced back perhaps one or two centuries. It
was only in the 19th-century Victorian era that the system of named tartans known today began to be systematically
recorded and formalized, mostly by weaving companies for mercantile
purposes. Up until this point, Highland tartans held regional
associations rather than being identified with any particular clan.
Today there are also tartans for districts, counties, societies and
corporations. There are also setts for states and provinces; schools and
universities; sporting activities; individuals; and commemorative and
simple generic patterns that anybody can wear.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kilted.jpg
Setts are always arranged horizontally and vertically, never
diagonally (except when adapted for ladies' skirts). They are specified
by their thread counts, the sequence of colours and their units of
width. As an example, the Wallace tartan has a thread count given as "K4 R32 K32 Y4" (K is black, R is
red, and Y is yellow). This means that 4 units of black thread will be
succeeded by 32 units of red, etc., in both the warp and the weft.
Typically, the units are the actual number of threads, but as long as
the proportions are maintained, the resulting pattern will be the same.
This thread count also includes a pivot point indicated by the slash
between the colour and thread number. The weaver is supposed to reverse
the weaving sequence at the pivot point to create a mirror image of the
pattern. This is called a symmetrical tartan. Some tartans, like Buchanan,
are asymmetrical, which means they do not have a pivot point. The
weaver weaves the sequence all the way through and then starts at the
beginning again for the next sett.
Setts are further characterized by their size, the number of inches
(or centimetres) in one full repeat. The size of a given sett depends
not only on the number of threads in the repeat, but also on the weight
of the fabric. This is because the heavier the fabric the thicker the
threads will be, and thus the same number of threads of a heavier-weight
fabric will occupy more space. The colours given in the thread count
are specified as in
heraldry,
although tartan patterns are not heraldic.
The exact shade which is
used is a matter of artistic freedom and will vary from one fabric mill to another as well as in dye lot to another within the same mill.
Tartans are commercially woven in four standard colour variations
that describe the overall tone. "Ancient" or "Old" colours may be
characterized by a slightly faded look intended to resemble the vegetable dyes
that were once used, although in some cases "Old" simply identifies a
tartan that was in use before the current one. Ancient greens and blues
are lighter while reds appear orange. "Modern" colours are bright and
show off modern aniline
dyeing methods. The colours are bright red, dark hunter green, and
usually navy blue. "Weathered" or "Reproduction" colours simulate the
look of older cloth weathered by the elements. Greens turn to light
brown, blues become gray, and reds are a deeper wine colour. The last
colour variation is "Muted" which tends toward earth tones
The greens are olive, blues are slate blue, and red is an even deeper
wine colour.
The Scottish kilt is usually worn with kilt hose (woollen socks), turned down at the knee, often with garter flashes, and a sporran
(Gaelic for "purse": a type of pouch), which hangs around the waist
from a chain or leather strap. This may be plain or embossed leather, or
decorated with sealskin, fur, or polished metal plating.
Other common accessories, depending on the formality of the context, include:
A belt (usually with embossed buckle)
A jacket (of various traditional designs)
A kilt pin
A sqian dubh (Gaelic: "black knife": a small sheathed knife worn in the top of the hose)
Ghillie brogues
Styles of kilt wear
Today most Sportsmen regard kilts as formal dress or a national dress.
Although there are still a few people who wear a kilt daily, it is
generally owned or hired to be worn at weddings or other formal
occasions, much the same way as tuxedos in America, and may be worn by
anyone regardless of nationality or descent. For formal wear, kilts are
usually worn with a Prince Charlie or an Argyll jacket. (Commercial
suppliers have now produced equivalent jackets with Irish and Welsh
themed styling.)
Kilts are also used for parades by groups such as the Scouts, and in many places kilts are seen in force at Highland games and pipe band championships as well as being worn at Scottish country dances and ceilidhs.
Certain regiments/units of the British Army and armies of other Commonwealth nations (including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa)
with a Scottish lineage or heritage still continue to wear kilts as
part of dress or duty uniform, though they have not been used in combat
since 1940. Uniforms in which kilts are worn include Ceremonial Dress,
Service Dress, and Barracks Dress. Kilts are considered appropriate for
ceremonial parades, office duties, less formal parades, walking out,
mess dinners, and classroom instruction/band practice.
Casual use of kilts dressed down with lace-up boots or moccasins, and
with t-shirts or golf shirts, is becoming increasingly more familiar at
Highland Games. The kilt is associated with a sense of Scottish national
pride and will often be seen being worn, along with a football top, when members of the Tartan Army are watching a football or rugby match.
Scotland
is famous for its whisky and if you've ever tasted it, you'll know
why. You will learn the truth about using barley, water, yeast and
peat to create the distinctive taste, texture, colour and smell of
whisky. You will also be treated toq some different whiskies and
learn all about the different kinds available. Many of them can only
be visited by booking in advance and you can do an organized trail or
create your own.
Scottish
Whisky or better known as Scotch, is widely familiar as the world's
leading splendid spirit. Its success in the international market has
led to Scotch being sold in over 200 countries around the globe. The
world's principal national drink, may only be called "Scotch"
if it has been distilled and matured in Scotland. This well known
international spirit is distilled in a land that is of utmost beauty,
and it takes nothing from mother nature that she will not gladly
replace. Of all the spirits mankind has distilled, refined and
improved from nature's huge stores of goodness, Scotch is the most
dignified. It is a natural drink, a distillation of the riches with
which Scotland is so richly gifted - fields of golden barley and
wheat, clear waters tumbling down glens of granite and over moors of
peat; and the cool, pure air of Scotland. Scotland is home to the
greatest concentration of Malt Whisky distilleries in the world.
As of 23 November 2009, the Scotch Whisky
Regulations (SWR) define and regulate the production,
labelling, packaging, and advertising of Scotch whisky. They replace
previous regulations that focused solely on production. The SWR
define "Scotch whisky" as whisky that is:
Produced at a distillery in
Scotland from water and malted barley (to which only whole grains of
other cereals may be added) all of which have been:
Processed at that distillery into
a mash
Converted at that distillery to a
fermentable substrate only by endogenous enzyme systems
Fermented at that distillery only
by adding yeast
Distilled at an alcoholic
strength by volume of less than 94.8%
Wholly matured in an excise
warehouse in Scotland in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700
litres for at least three years
Retaining the colour, aroma, and
taste of the raw materials used in, and the method of, its
production and maturation
Containing no added substances,
other than water and plain (E150A) caramel
colouring
Comprising a minimum alcoholic strength by volume of 40%
A Scotch whisky label comprises several elements that indicate
aspects of production, age, bottling, and ownership. Some of these
elements are regulated by the SWR, and some reflect tradition and
marketing. The spelling of the term "whisky" is often
debated by journalists and consumers. Scottish and Canadian whiskies
use "whisky", Irish whiskies use "whiskey", while
American and other styles vary in their spelling of the term.
The label always features a declaration of the malt or grain
whiskies used. A single malt Scotch whisky is one that is entirely
produced from malt in one distillery. One may also encounter the term
"single cask", signifying the bottling comes entirely from
one cask. The terms "blended malt" or "vatted malt"
are interchangeable, and signify that single malt whisky from
different distilleries are blended in the bottle. The Cardhu
distillery also began using the term "pure malt" for the
same purpose, causing a controversy in the process over clarity in
labelling—the Glenfiddich distillery was
using the term to describe some single malt bottlings. As a result,
the Scotch Whisky Association declared that a mixture of single malt
whiskies must be labelled a "blended malt". The use of the
former terms "vatted malt" and "pure malt" is
prohibited. The term "blended malt" is still debated, as
some bottlers maintain that consumers confuse the term with "blended
Scotch whisky", which contains some proportion of grain whisky.
The brand name featured on the label is usually the same as the
distillery name (for example, the Talisker
Distillery labels its whiskies with the Talisker name).
Indeed, the SWR prohibit bottlers from using a distillery name when
the whisky was not made there. A bottler name may also be listed,
sometimes independent of the distillery. In addition to requiring
that Scotch whisky be distilled in Scotland, the SWR require that it
also be bottled and labeled in Scotland.
WHISKY'S AGE
A whisky's age may be listed on the bottle providing a guarantee
of the youngest whisky used. An age statement on the bottle, in the
form of a number, must reflect the age of the youngest whisky used to
produce that product. A whisky with an age statement is known as
guaranteed age whisky. Scotch whisky without an age statement may, by
law, be as young as three years old.A label may carry a distillation
date or a bottling date. Whisky does not mature once bottled, so if
no age statement is provided, one may calculate the age of the
whiskey if both the distillation date and bottling date are given.
Labels may also carry various declarations of filtration
techniques or final maturation processes. A Scotch whisky labelled as
"natural" or "non-chill-filtered" has not been
through a filtration process during bottling that removes compounds
that some consumers see as desirable.
Have a look if you are interested
Types of
Scotch whisky
There are two basic types of Scotch whisky, from which all blends
are made:
Single malt Scotch whisky means a
Scotch whisky produced from only water and malted barley at a single
distillery by batch distillation in pot stills.
Single grain Scotch whisky means a Scotch whisky distilled at
a single distillery but, in addition to water and malted barley, may
involve whole grains of other malted or unmalted cereals. "Single
grain" does not mean that only a single type of grain was used
to produce the whisky—rather, the adjective "single"
refers only to the use of a single distillery (and making a
"single grain" requires using a mixture of grains,
as barley is a type of grain and some malted barley must be used in
all Scotch whisky).
Excluded from the definition of “single grain Scotch whisky”
is any spirit that qualifies as a single malt Scotch whisky or as a
blended Scotch whisky. The latter exclusion is to ensure that a
blended Scotch whisky produced from single malt(s) and single
grain(s) distilled at the same distillery does not also qualify as
single grain Scotch whisky.
Three types of blends are defined for Scotch whisky:
Blended malt Scotch whisky means a
blend of two or more single malt Scotch whiskies from different
distilleries.
Blended grain Scotch whisky means
a blend of two or more single grain Scotch whiskies from different
distilleries.
Blended Scotch whisky means a blend of one or more single
malt Scotch whiskies with one or more single grain Scotch whiskies.
The five Scotch whisky definitions are structured in such a way
that the categories are mutually exclusive. The 2009 regulations
changed the formal definition of blended Scotch whisky to achieve
this result, but in a way that reflected traditional and current
practice: before the 2009 SWR, any combination of Scotch whiskies
qualified as a blended Scotch whisky, including for example a blend
of single malt Scotch whiskies. As
was the case under the Scotch Whisky Act 1988, regulation 5 of the
SWR 2009 stipulates that the only whisky that may be manufactured in
Scotland is Scotch whisky. The definition of manufacture is
"keeping for the purpose of maturation; and keeping, or using,
for the purpose of blending, except for domestic blending for
domestic consumption." This provision prevents the existence of
two ‘grades’ of whisky originating from Scotland, one “Scotch
whisky” and the other, a “whisky – product of Scotland” that
complies with the generic EU standard for whisky. According to the
Scotch Whisky Association, allowing non-Scotch whisky production in
Scotland would make it difficult to protect Scotch whisky as a
distinctive product. In
addition to prohibiting whisky production in Scotland other than
Scotch Whisky, the law forbids maturing or blending whiskies in
Scotland other than Scotch Whisky. This prevents descriptions such as
“whisky – matured in Scotland” or “whisky – blended in
Scotland” on spirits that are not Scotch Whisky. The Scotch Whisky
Association says this will help ensure “Scotch Whisky” remains a
distinct product.
Single grain
The majority of grain whisky produced in
Scotland goes to make blended Scotch whisky. The average blended
whisky is 60%–85% grain whisky. Some higher-quality grain whisky
from a single distillery is bottled as single grain whisky.
Blended malt whisky —formerly called
vatted malt or pure malt (terms that are now prohibited
in the SWR 2009)—is one of the least common types of Scotch: a
blend of single malts from more than one distillery (possibly with
differing ages). Blended malts contain only malt whiskies—no grain
whiskies—and are usually distinguished from other types of whisky
by the absence of the word 'single' before 'malt' on the bottle, and
the absence of a distillery name. To qualify as a blended malt, the
mixed single malt whiskies are matured in the barrel for one year,
after which the age of the vat is that of the youngest of the
original ingredients.
Blended
Blended Scotch whisky constitutes about 90% of the whisky produced
in Scotland. Blended Scotch whiskies contain both malt whisky and
grain whisky. Producers combine the various malts and grain whiskies
to produce a consistent brand style. Notable blended Scotch whisky
brands include Bells,
Dewar's, Johnnie
Walker, Whyte
and Mackay, Cutty
Sark, J&B,
The Famous
Grouse, Ballantine's
and Chivas Regal.
Most malt distilleries sell a significant amount of whisky by the
cask for blending, and sometimes to private buyers as well. Whisky
from such casks is sometimes bottled as a single malt by independent
bottling firms such as Duncan
Taylor, Master
of Malt, Gordon
& MacPhail, Cadenhead's, The
Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Murray
McDavid, Signatory, Douglas
Laing, and others. These are usually labelled with the
distillery's name, but not using the distillery's trademarked logos
or typefaces. An "official bottling" (or "proprietary
bottling"), by comparison, is from the distillery (or its
owner). Many independent bottlings are from single casks, and they
may sometimes be very different from an official bottling.
For a variety of reasons, some independent brands do not identify
which facility distilled the whisky in the bottle. They may instead
identify only the general geographical area of the source, or they
simply market the product using their own brand name without
identifying their source. This may, in some cases, be simply to give
the independent bottling company the flexibility to purchase from
multiple distillers without changing their labels.
According to the Scotch Whisky Association, no one knows exactly
when the art of distilling was first practised in Scotland; it is
known that the Ancient Celt practised
distilling, and that the liquid they produced — known in ancient
Gaelic as uisge beatha ("water of life") — evolved
into Scotch whisky. By the 11th century distillation first occurred
in Scotland in the early Christian monastic sites.
Whisky production was first taxed in 1644, causing a rise in
illicit whisky distilling in the country. Around 1780, there were
about eight legal distilleries and 400 illegal ones. In 1823,
Parliament eased restrictions on licensed distilleries with the "Excise
Act", while at the same time making it harder for the illegal
stills to operate, thereby ushering in the modern era of Scotch
production. Two events helped to increase whisky's popularity: first,
a new production process was introduced in 1831 called Coffey or
Patent Still (see in section below); the whisky produced with this
process was less intense and smoother.
