Many of our regular visitors have probably wondered why yer auld Uncle Fergus hasn't fully devoted much o' me site here tae explorin' the real traditions of Scottish culture. Well, some how I had a feelin' ye were gonna ask me that; so here be somethin' tae assuade the more brainy amongst ye lads an' lassies in our surfin' audience. Now pay attention, please, because we're about tae journey back in time, tae share a tale of Scottish reverence and spirit. I give ye, then.....
The Kirkin' o' the Tartans!
The Kirkin' o' the Tartans is basically North American as far as tradition goes; yet its origins are deeply rooted in the lore of Scottish history as the saga of Braveheart itself. In the year 563 A.D., St. Columba, having discovered the isle of Iona in Scotland, successfully converted the previously paganist Picts to Christianity. The resulting Church son became a primal piece in the fabric of day-to-day Scottish life.
Now, for the benefit of those who know Scottish culture, let me point out that Scots have long had a history of displaying strong Christian convictions, no matter what faiths they worship under. Further, they usually observe Sunday as a high holy day, in accordance with the Fourth of the Ten Commnadments: "Remember the Sabbath day; to keep it holy."
Now, let's learn where the tartan portion of our tale comes in. Tartans have always been central to Scottish history and culture. In the beginning, the various tartans of all known Clansmen represented the people of certain districts; in later years, however, the tartans came to stand for all Scottish Clans, including their septs and families, regardless of whatever name they bore.
The first dyes which were used to color the wool were usually made from the vegetables grown in each family's garden, whereas the fabric doubtless came from the wool of the sheep they raised. In that sense, the tartan often stood as a symbol of the hard labor and diligence of the Scotsmen.
As the lifework of the Scots was depicted through the composition of the tartans, so too was Christianity and the Kirk interwoven into their family lives and traditions. How fitting, then, that the idea might come to pass that the tartan should be brought to the Kirk, to be blessed before the Lord.
Over the years, as the Tartans and the Scottish Church evolved, most Clansmen and their families explored newer, more innovative ways to wear their colours proudly, while simultaneously observing the Lord's Day as they saw fit. Among the most frequent of these observances was the Sunday Tartan Service, during which the Sunday or dress kilt was usually worn. This was a finer-quality woolen kilt with more white wool than that of the average everyday kilt.
As most students of Scottish history are well aware, Scotland and her tartans played major roles in the Highlanders' dress codes, as well as in their distinct battle uniforms. As the English ultimately discovered, the tartan was, more than anything else, central to the Scots' overall identity and purpose. It was, frankly, their most common link. As a result, each year an annual service was held at which the Clansfolk, dressed in their finest tartan colours, rededicated themselves to their Heavenly Father, praising Him in eternal gratitude for His having watched over them during the year just past.
As we read in the writings of some historians, an event resembling the aforedescribed took place around the time of the Protestant Reformation of the 1500's. But by the time of the events resulting in the Proscription Act of 1746, it had become illegal to wear or display the tartan, play the bagpipes, or sing Highland songs. Thus, the Rededication Service could not be held.
Yet the Scots remained determined to hold fast to their ancient identities and to the true meaning of their blessed rites. To that end, a sort of 'underground' Kirkin' o' the Tartans took place in secret. The Clansfolk would walk to their nearest Kirk in an orderly fashion, sometimes carrying upon their personage swatches of the material, appropriately concealed, to be 'kirked'. Then, at a time and a pre-arranged signal known only to both the clergy and their parishioners, the Clansfolk would fondle their wee tartan bits, while the presiding minster blessed the cloth, speaking in fluent Scottish Gaelic.
At this point, the history of the Kirkin' o' the Tartans becomes rather vague in terms of its continuance throughout the pages of history. While the Rededication Service was in time fully restored, there are no further references to such a service known to be recorded in any subsequent printed histories of Scotland. And so, fast-forward to the mid-20th Century --- and the story of a man named Dr. Peter Marshall.
On April 27th, 1941, Dr. Marshall presided over the first Kirkin' o' the Tartans held on American soil. The location: Washington, D.C., at what was then called the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Dr. Marshall --- hailing from Scotland himself (Glasgow, to be more precise) --- was then Chaplain of the St. Andrew's Society of Washington, D.C. Thanks to his pioneering efforts in this unprecedented great moment in modern religious history, Dr. Marshall was declared the very first Chaplain of the U.S. Senate .... a post he would hold for what proved to be the final three years of his life. In time, Dr. Marshall's widow, Catherine, would recount the story of her late husband's life, deeds and the story of how he served his Lord in the now-classic yet (by today's standards) completely hard-to-find biography, A Man Called Peter. In 1955, with Henry Koster as director, 20th Century-Fox's CinemaScope adaptation of A Man Called Peter was one of the last U.S.-based film projects starring veteran London-born actor Richard Todd. Todd's performance as the adult Dr. Marshall has long been considered a classic piece of acting, and continues to inspire those who choose to see and/or hear their calling via this relatively rarely-told chapter in the annals of American --- and Scottish --- history.
Since 1954, the Kirkin' o' the Tartans Service as conceived by Dr. Peter Marshall has been held at what is now Washington, D.C.'s National Cathedral. Many Scottish, Caledonian and St. Andrew's Societies hold similar ceremonies ascross the U.S. and Canada; they can also be found at Episcopalian, Methodist, Roman Catholic and even Greek Orthodox denominations! The three most popular occasions where these services are traditionally held are: National Tartan Day, each April 6th; outdoors, at several Scottish Highland Games (most of which are usually 2-, 3-, or 4-day weekend events); and on St. Andrew's Day itself, November 30th.
The following Kirkin' o' the Tartans Prayer, presented herein for educational purposes only, is freely adapted from a version written by Ralph Gunn, for a Kirkin' Service held as part of the Longs Peak Scottish-Celtic Festival and Highland Games:
"On behalf of all Scots away from Scotland, and in the name of all Scotsmen throughout the world, we ask that these tartans be blessed and celebrated in memory of our fallen, whether it be in Peace or in War. We ask You, O Lord, to watch over us and these tartans, and we pray for the safe passage of our forefathers who shared the traditions of our ancestors in ancient and modern Scotland. Through Your Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, we pray. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
Here is the scheduling for a typical order of worship for a Kirkin' o' the Tartans Service, as staged during the Virginia Highland Games, July 2005: