Tartan Day in the U.S.of A

[davedove]

There certainly are celebrations, but I think it's fair to say it's still a VERY minor holiday. Compare it to St. Patrick's Day, for reference.

We all have to remember that Tartan Day is a pretty recent development in the US, again as compared to St. Patrick's Day. It takes a while to establish traditions of celebration.

In all honesty, Tartan Day may always be a minor holiday, primarily clebrated by those who are heavy into all things Scottish. Then again, it may one day rise to the same level as St. Patrick's Day, though I doubt it will get any bigger than that.

Many people don't even know the day exists. And for those who do, most think that to get kilted requires you to go out and buy a $400-$500 traditional kilt, and a lot of people just aren't going to do that.

[macwilkin]

We all have to remember that Tartan Day is a pretty recent development in the US, again as compared to St. Patrick's Day. It takes a while to establish traditions of celebration.

In all honesty, Tartan Day may always be a minor holiday, primarily clebrated by those who are heavy into all things Scottish. Then again, it may one day rise to the same level as St. Patrick's Day, though I doubt it will get any bigger than that.

Many people don't even know the day exists. And for those who do, most think that to get kilted requires you to go out and buy a $400-$500 traditional kilt, and a lot of people just aren't going to do that.

Dave raises a good point: do we really want Tartan Day to be like "American" St. Patrick's Day, where, save a few cities with large Irish-American populations, the holiday is really nothing more than a "green Mardi Gras". (And for that matter, what we call Mardi Gras today is nothing like traditional Mardi Gras celebrated in Cajun country.) Many St. Patrick's Day parades have little Irish history, culture, tradition -- the one here in Springfield is a good example. Others of course, do have that, and I salute them for finding a good mix of fun and learning.

Personally, I prefer quality over quanity. Yes, it would be nice if Tartan Day would be more nationally known, but I think we need to remember the "point" behind Tartan Day -- to acknowledge the contributions of the Scots to North America -- not just to party. Don't get me wrong, I like a good ceilidh as much as the next man, but the educational and cultural aspects of Tartan Day are much more important to me.

Regards,

Todd