How Scottish people view tartan

[kilted2000]

When I visited Scotland recently I wasn't expecting to see loads of kilts and tartan worn by the people of Scotland, and I didn't. However, what did surprise me was when I took several Loganair flights to Stornoway and Kirkwall. The plane's livery had tartan on it and tartan was also used on the headrests on the seats. Even the flight attendants wore tartan. I was also surprised to see that Loganair's loyalty club is called "Clan Loganair." The Tartan Army is another use of tartan in Scottish society that is clearly not done to attract tourists.

Obviously tartan is associated with Scotland, but Scottish people are not more likely than anyone else to wear tartan in any form than other people in their daily lives. I know that never in history did the majority of Scottish people wear kilts and belong to clans. So I was wondering if the actual Scots on this forum could enlighten me on how the average Scot in 2022 sees tartan. Is it a stereotype that plays into what I have heard called 'Scottish cringe?' As an accepted national symbol? A bit of both? Without wanting to comment of modern Scottish politics i do notice that nationalists rarely use tartan when campaigning. Just an observation I do not want to start a political discussion. Those of use outhwith Scotland can be very excited by tartan, kilts, and clans but what about those in Scotland.

[figheadair]

Obviously tartan is associated with Scotland, but Scottish people are not more likely than anyone else to wear tartan in any form than other people in their daily lives. I know that never in history did the majority of Scottish people wear kilts and belong to clans. So I was wondering if the actual Scots on this forum could enlighten me on how the average Scot in 2022 sees tartan. Is it a stereotype that plays into what I have heard called 'Scottish cringe?' As an accepted national symbol? A bit of both? Without wanting to comment of modern Scottish politics i do notice that nationalists rarely use tartan when campaigning. Just an observation I do not want to start a political discussion. Those of use outhwith Scotland can be very excited by tartan, kilts, and clans but what about those in Scotland.

In terms of the question posed, I'm not sure there is such a thing as the 'average Scot'. The answer will definitely be influenced by age, location and background. I'm too close to the history and industry to have an average or unbiased view. What I would offer by way of example is that my children and the many of their friends are comfortable with tartan and kilts for events and occasions but don't go out of their way to parade it on a daily basis or surround themselves with it at home. My son-in-law, from Mull, was married in a kilt, his father, from Ayrshire, never has, and never would, wear one. Many of the older generation come from a time when only the better off could afford a kilt, and generally only those in the Highlands wore them. There has been a generational change recently.

The bottom line is that those born and brought up here do not need tartan as an everyday reminder of their identity.

[Jock Scot]

In terms of the question posed, I'm not sure there is such a thing as the 'average Scot'. The answer will definitely be influenced by age, location and background. I'm too close to the history and industry to have an average or unbiased view. What I would offer by way of example is that my children and the many of their friends are comfortable with tartan and kilts for events and occasions but don't go out of their way to parade it on a daily basis or surround themselves with it at home. My son-in-law, from Mull, was married in a kilt, his father, from Ayrshire, never has, and never would, wear one. Many of the older generation come from a time when only the better off could afford a kilt, and generally only those in the Highlands wore them. There has been a generational change recently.

The bottom line is that those born and brought up here do not need tartan as an everyday reminder of their identity.

I think Peter has nailed it fairly accurately. From what I read here on this website, those from outwith these shores tend to make rather a fuss of tartans and Scottishness and is something we locals don't on the whole, understand. Fair enough, but the OP's observations whilst on his visit are impressively accurate considering his short time here.

[Kiltedjohn]

I am a Scot now living in England. I very much like wearing a kilt, and do so regularly while in Scotland (my wife feels it's too conspicuous and out-of-place south of the border!). My love of the kilt probably has a lot to do with my family circumstances: I have a much closer attachment to the Scottish side of my family (the maternal side) than to my father's side, and kilt-wearing helps me affirm my Scottish ancestry. If I were getting married, I would definitely be kilted, and wear the kilt in England on special occasions.
At the same time, when visiting Edinburgh, I found it "cringewothy" to see (and hear) kilted bagpipers on the Royal Mile and on Princes Street. I felt that their presence was purely for the benefit of foreign tourists, who may think (wrongly) that this is normal day-to-day Scottish behaviour.

[Father Bill]

At the same time, when visiting Edinburgh, I found it "cringewothy" to see (and hear) kilted bagpipers on the Royal Mile and on Princes Street. I felt that their presence was purely for the benefit of foreign tourists, who may think (wrongly) that this is normal day-to-day Scottish behaviour.

Don't worry too much; intelligent, educated tourists know that they are either buskers or advertising for... something.

[piperalpha]

I am a Scot now living in England. I very much like wearing a kilt, and do so regularly while in Scotland (my wife feels it's too conspicuous and out-of-place south of the border!). My love of the kilt probably has a lot to do with my family circumstances: I have a much closer attachment to the Scottish side of my family (the maternal side) than to my father's side, and kilt-wearing helps me affirm my Scottish ancestry. If I were getting married, I would definitely be kilted, and wear the kilt in England on special occasions.
At the same time, when visiting Edinburgh, I found it "cringewothy" to see (and hear) kilted bagpipers on the Royal Mile and on Princes Street. I felt that their presence was purely for the benefit of foreign tourists, who may think (wrongly) that this is normal day-to-day Scottish behaviour.

Busking can be pretty lucrative. We took a trip with the youth pipe band years ago. A piper and a highland dancer went to busk in a busy Glasgow tourist area one day. He would play for her for a dance or two then she would go around with a balmoral collecting. They had to take a taxi back because the pipe case was too heavy for them to carry all the way back. Once the rest of us figured out how much they made we did it too. There was a mini band pipers paired with drummers, duets, and lots of solo players.
It would have been funny to walk by and see so many buskers dressed the same. We had lots of extra pocket money. My brother bought a new pipe case, one of the guys would go busking to make money for lessons at the piping centre, and some of the older kids would go to the Todd Pub.

I don’t think we’d get away with that nowadays.

[OC Richard]

When visiting Edinburgh I found it "cringewothy" to see (and hear) kilted bagpipers on the Royal Mile and on Princes Street.

As a piper of decent ability I found most of those pipers cringeworthy as well. That being said, I did hear two excellent pipers playing duets on the Royal Mile one day.

I felt that their presence was purely for the benefit of foreign tourists...

The pipers I saw were busking, in other words playing for personal gain.

What I didn't see were non-busking pipers. I would very much prefer the town council hiring good professional pipers and banning the cringeworthy buskers.

[Hirsty]

As has been said before - some people have no interest in tartan, some are obsessed. I am from Angus but have lived in Edinburgh and Perth for a long time so tartan, the wearing of and use in decoration, is almost ubiquitous.
On the other hand, there are parts of Scotland where the only tartan that you will see is the Camel Thompson/Burberry tartan on the local neds.
As an aside, I now live in Colorado and often get a blank stare when I mention tartan. When I explain what it is the almost universal response is "Oh you mean "plaid"". It is interesting how an item of Highland Dress has become confused with tartan.

[OC Richard]

when I mention tartan...the almost universal response is "Oh you mean "plaid"". It is interesting how an item of Highland Dress has become confused with tartan.

That's a fascinating thing! Because from what I read the English word "plaid" was borrowed from the Gaelic word for blanket.

BTW it's pretty common in language for the word for a thing to be adopted as a word for the colour of the thing, witness our colour-words "orange" and "taupe" (a fruit and a furry creature respectively).

More interesting that Scots use the French word "tartan" to describe such a pattern rather than the native word breac.

In any case, what I wonder is: did English have a word that described a tartan pattern prior to borrowing "plaid"?

When I think of the early accounts in English of Highland Dress they describe the mantles as "striped" "variegated" "mottled" etc. so perhaps English had no word, hence the borrowing of "plaid" filled a need.

[Hirsty]

That's a fascinating thing! Because from what I read the English word "plaid" was borrowed from the Gaelic word for blanket.

BTW it's pretty common in language for the word for a thing to be adopted as a word for the colour of the thing, witness our colour-words "orange" and "taupe" (a fruit and a furry creature respectively).

More interesting that Scots use the French word "tartan" to describe such a pattern rather than the native word breac.

In any case, what I wonder is: did English have a word that described a tartan pattern prior to borrowing "plaid"?

When I think of the early accounts in English of Highland Dress they describe the mantles as "striped" "variegated" "mottled" etc. so perhaps English had no word, hence the borrowing of "plaid" filled a need.

You will find that a lot of words and names in Scots and Scots-English have French origins, there was the Auld Alliance after all, my son Montgomery was born in Little France, for example. However, there is also influence from Middle English for the word "tartan". Both French and English origins refer to the Tartars who also had an exotic pattern.

My Gaelic isn't very good but I thought "breac" meant trout or salmon (I can't quite remember).

English speakers in England refer to the pattern as "checked" unless it is specifically Scottish.

Perhaps the main reason that "tartan" became more prevalent in Scotland than "breacan" is that Scots and English have become more dominant languages than Gaelic.