St Davids Day .. action replay

**Standard** · 3rd March 08, 08:08 PM

Thanks for the history lesson Galician. It's always nice to be able to learn a new bit of your ancestorial home's culture.

I don't think that I have heard mention of the day in here in the US, but I'll be sure to keep an ear open when next year comes around.

**McClef** · 4th March 08, 02:05 AM

Another picture from the occasion - a Mayor in a cilt!

**McClef** · 4th March 08, 07:52 AM

Not kilted but still colourful - the Welsh Lancers.

**McFarkus** · 4th March 08, 08:24 AM

Very cool! I need to put the St. David's tartan on my list and celebrate my Welsh heritage as well as my Scots and Irish heritage.

**McClef** · 4th March 08, 02:37 PM

The contingent from Cornwall was alas smaller than last year but nevertheless the St Piran Cornwall flag is proudly carried and the Cornish National kilt proudly worn.

PLEASE NOTE - tomorrow (March 5th) is St Piran's day, the national day of Cornwall. I will be wearing my Cornish National kilt and hope all owners of Cornish kilts will also. I wore it today too actualy!

**Darkislander** · 4th March 08, 03:05 PM

Thanks for those pictures Gentlemen. It's the first I've ever seen it.

**BoldHighlander** · 5th March 08, 02:04 AM

Originally Posted by McClef

Another picture from the occasion - a Mayor in a cilt!

Trefor, this is another one of those very interesting Welsh sporrans I've seen a few times. Is there any significance to the design (very round pouch & extra long hair tassles)?

Handmade Welsh Dress /Day Ysgrepan Sporrans:

http://www.kilts-n-stuff.com/Highlan...cessories.html

http://www.landmhighland.com/default...ptyp=6&pid=621

**Amoskeag** · 5th March 08, 04:33 AM

Thanks so much for all the photos. What great celebration! Can you tell me more about the clothing of the marchers. There are two ladies in black dresses with lace head wear, a lady in a long maroon dress and a tall hat, and another with a green shawl and a head scarf with a gold band. I assume that these are traditional attire and they are stunning! This is all very new to me as well and just can't get enough info about different cultures and traditions. (Anything beyond the Merrimack River is Terra Incognita to me

) More things to read up on!
Bob

**McClef** · 5th March 08, 04:55 AM

Originally Posted by BoldHighlander

Trefor, this is another one of those very interesting Welsh sporrans I've seen a few times. Is there any significance to the design (very round pouch & extra long hair tassles)?

Well the main significance I guess is to try and come up with something distinctively Welsh. It's called a Ysgrepan and is supposedly based upon a pouch that was worn to carry things in. Many cultures had an external money bag after all, but few were fancy decorated things. It would most likely have been carried at the side and hung from a belt, certainly not in the position it now occupies in front of a cilt apron.

I don't know who designed it but clearly they wanted not to follow the average sporran design. It's leather and the dress version (shown in the photo) does not have a cantle but a leather flap with the Red Dragon embossed upon it and an interesting and unusual locking mechanism - must do a photo showing this closer up so you can get a better idea.

The rest of it isn't fur, but hair. The white is goat hair (despite the overwhelming numbers of sheep in Wales!

) and the long black stripe is comprised of horse hair. The strap is in leather which has links similar to a Welsh love spoon design.

It's light, comfortable and can carry a reasonable amount of stuff but not necessarily as much as your average sporran can. Neither is it cheap - I paid £175 for mine and have seen it for as much as £235 on some sites, There are only two colour options - ox blood (as the Mayor is wearing) or black. The cheaper "day" sporran doesn't have the horse hair and I have yet to see anybody wearing one of those!

I know nothing of the third design - first time I have seen it. The length would suggest it's an alternative version of a piper sporran - we do have some pipers in Wales but I haven't seen them wearing one.

Hope this helps a little.

**McClef** · 5th March 08, 05:02 AM

This is a drumming band who come from near Wrexham in North Wales. They made the BBC Wales news last year about how they raised the money for their cilts and uniforms. They don't wear the Ysgrepan (not practical when drumming anyway) and don't seem to have any form of neck wear but they are good and very enthusiastic.