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Tartan Day is a celebration of Scottish heritage on April 6, the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. An ad hoc event was held in New York City in 1982, but the current format originated in Canada in the mid-1980s. It spread to other communities of the Scottish diaspora in the 1990s. In Australasia the similar International Tartan Day is held on July 1, the anniversary of the repeal of the 1747 Act of Proscription that banned the wearing of tartan.
Tartan Days typically have parades of pipe bands, Highland dancing and other Scottish-themed events.
Origins
In 1982, under the auspices of the New York Caledonian Club, New York State Governor Hugh Carey, and New York City Mayor Ed Koch declared July 1, 1982, as Tartan Day, a one-time celebration of the 200th anniversary of the repeal of the Act of Proscription of August 12, 1747, the law forbidding Scots to wear tartan.
On March 9, 1986, a ‘Tartan Day’ to promote Scottish heritage in Canada, was proposed at a meeting of the Federation of Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia.[1] Jean Watson, President of Clan Lamont, petitioned provincial legislatures to recognize April 6 as Tartan Day.[1] The first such proclamation was by Nova Scotia in April 1987; other provinces followed suit until Quebec was the last to fall in line, in December 2003.[1]
In Australia, wearing tartan on July 1 has been encouraged since 1989. The day has been promoted as International Tartan Day in Australia since 1996[2] and has been formally recognized by many states, but not at national level. The United States Senate recognized April 6 as Tartan Day in 1998.
Canada
Canada estimates 15.1% or 4.7 million Canadians claim Scottish descent.[3] As stated above, Tartan Day in Canada originated with a proposal from the Federation of Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia and has since been proclaimed by all the provincial legislatures. In 2007 Peter Stoffer introduced a Private member’s bill for “An Act respecting a Tartan Day”. Progress of the bill was interrupted by the 2008 election, but it has been resubmitted.[4]
An annual ‘Gathering of the Clans’ will take place each April 6 or on the Sunday nearest to it on Parliament Hill in Ottawa at noon with pipes, drums, and dancing hosted by the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band, Canada’s oldest civilian pipe band.[5] The 2011 celebrations marked the first time that Tartan Day has been celebrated with Canada’s official tartan having been named: the Maple Leaf.
Scotland
Angus Council, whose region includes Arbroath, established the first Tartan Day festival in Scotland on April 6, 2004, and has since joined other regional councils in attempting to develop its potential as a global celebration.[29] In 2006 events were held in Arbroath, Aberdeen, Montrose, Kilmarnock, Stirling, Perth, Glasgow and Edinburgh.[30][31]
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