The St. Andrews Society of Kansas City sent me the Kirkin' of the Tartan:

"There are a couple of versions attributed to be the origin of this tradition. One is that Scotland in the mid-18th century saw the English parliament and monarchy (The Disarming Act, 1746 - 1782) banning weapons, as well as the wearing of tartan or kilts by Highland clansmen (effective August 1747). A latter-day legend has it that clansmen would carry small pieces of the banned tartan cloth to the Church (Kirk) and the clergymen would slip a blessing into the service.

While this is a great romantic legend, in all probablity, the first Kirkin' was actually held on Sunday evening, April 27, 1941, in Washington, D.C., at a special service led by Peter Marshall, famed pastor (1935 - 1949) of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Attended by members of the St. Andrews Society of Washington, D.C., the 1941 service had Scottish airs as a prelude to the service. Designed to raise funds, this Kirkin’ service sought to aid Scottish churches during the early days of World War II, as well as the British war effort, by providing a mobile kitchen, according to the church bulletin."

Was it really an American inspired tradition?