My toast that I will give on April 6th

[Ayin McFye]

Greetings everyone. As we all know April 6th is National Tartan Day. The Sonoran Scotsmen are getting together to celebrate this day as I have stated in another thread. I plan to give a toast this day to not only celebrate, but to educate those in my group the significance of this day. I used various resources to compile this information into one document. I thought that I would share my toast with you, not only for your input, but also that if you wish you may use it during your events that you will all hold around the world wherever you may be.

On August 1st 1746 the British government enacted the act of Proscription. This Act was a series of efforts to assimilate the unruly Scottish Highlands while ending their ability to revolt. Included in this Act of Proscription was the Dress Act which made wearing “The Highland Dress” including the tartan or kilt illegal in Scotland, as well as reiterated the Disarming Act that was already in place.

The end of Proscription came in 1782 after 36 years of tyrannical rule. We celebrate this day on April 6th, the anniversary of the Scottish Declaration of Arbroath, the first formal Declaration of Independence in history. The reason the Declaration of Arbroath is important to Americans is because our own Declaration of Independence was modeled after this document. The most famous line from this declaration states:

“for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself”

So today we drink, and we celebrate not only to the ending of this Act of Proscription, and the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath, but to all those who died to keep Scotland theirs.

Slainte!

[beloitpiper]

Sounds great, but one little nit-picky thing. "Slainte" is Irish. The Scottish Gaelic version would be "Slanj".

[macwilkin]

Sounds great, but one little nit-picky thing. "Slainte" is Irish. The Scottish Gaelic version would be "Slanj".

I know many Scots who spell it "Slainte".

For example, the Pipe Major's toast of the Liverpool Scottish Regiment:

Slainte mor, Slainte Banrighinn
Slainte agus buaidh gu brath
le Gillean Forbasach.

A number of Highland Regiments use variants of this toast with this spelling.

T.

[elrond]

Slainte or Slanj, it is impportant the reason we're lifting our glass to the sky for: freedom!
Have a nice tartan day, brothers!