Church honors Scottish heritage
Bob Brownne

Tracy Press

First Presbyterian Church on Berverdor Avenue revived a bit of its Scottish heritage Sunday with a worship service dedicated to the cloth that helped unite a nation.

The “Kirkin O’ the Tartan” is an 18th-century tradition that was reborn 200 years later in the United States. It’s a chance for people to bring forth the woven cloth that represents their families for a blessing from the church.

Native Scot Stuart Rafferty noted the irony of a tradition that has taken hold in Tracy while it remains relatively obscure in its homeland.

“We lived in Scotland and never knew about it until we came here,” he said. “It’s one of those magic cultures:

Scots that leave the country know more about the culture than those in the country.”

Tartan is the material used in kilts, scarves and other articles of clothing. Unlike ordinary plaid, each strand of dyed wool in a tartan’s pattern represents a clan or region.

“It’s your name. It’s your heritage,” said bagpiper Phil McGill, whose tartan represents Clan McDonald and his own ancestors. “Everyone should be interested in their heritage no matter where they’re from. That’s what makes America great.”

Interim Pastor Don Smith’s collar included the tartan from Clan Rose, which adopted him when he was a minister in Garden Grove. As others set scarves on the communion table, Jim Rhodes set down a tie representing his ancestry, Clan Lamont, for his brother in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

“I had my brother send me his tie, got it blessed, and now I’ll send it back,” he said.

Between 1746 and 1782, as the English response to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, the Disarming Act outlawed all symbols of Scottish unity, including kilts and tartans. Scots were forbidden to carry any weapons. Even bagpipes were banned.

Scots continued to conceal small pieces of their tartans in their clothing or in between pages of their Bibles.

In this way, the Scottish clergy blessed their congregations’ families and heritage in spite of English law.

During his sermon, Smith said this helped preserve the Scottish national identity and affirmed God as the ruler of all men, including the king of England.

The tradition was revived in the U.S. in 1943 as a way to encourage people of Scottish heritage to join the war effort and fight for their ancestral homeland.

• To reach reporter Bob Brownne, call 830-4227 or e-mail brownne@ tracypress.com.
http://www.tracypress.com/local/2005-11-14-chruch.php


I am still not convinced this was ever a Scottish tradition, but it's still a nice one.

Sherry