04/06/2026
Apr 6 - Scottish Country Dance of the Day, "Makin' The Tartan" for Tartan Day!
"The tartan, the tartan,
The wind-shaken plaid,
That wraps round the shoulders
Of lassie and lad;
It speaks of the mountains,
The glens, and the streams,
Of a people whose history
Lives on in its seams"
~ Traditional/author unknown
Happy Tartan Day! For many, tartan isn’t just something worn—it’s something carried. Across generations, across oceans, across time. A thread that connects glens and cities, past and present, memory and identity.
Celebrated most prominently in Canada and the United States Tartan Day honors Scottish heritage, identity, and cultural contributions around the world.
Of the many tartan inpired dances, this 40 bar strathspey for 4 couples devised by Geraldine Ferguson celebrates tartan weaving and weavers with elegant double figures of 8 and hands across, and then a full set stately progression down the middle and back, finishing with rights and lefts, putting one in mind of the shuttle action of the loom and the crossed threads!
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The story of tartan is, fittingly, a bit tangled—woven from tradition, myth, and a fair bit of reinvention.
Back in the day, Highland dress certainly included patterned cloth—but not the fixed “clan tartans” so familiar now. Before the 18th century, tartans were more regional and practical, shaped by local dyes, available wool, and the preferences of the weaver. A pattern might say more about place than ancestry.
After the Jacobite Risings and the ban on Highland dress (lifted in 1782), tartan made a comeback—but with a bit more romance attached.
In the early 1800s, Sir Walter Scott helped stage King George IV’s visit to Scotland, and tartan took center stage—proud, patriotic, and just a little theatrical.
Around that same time, the Sobieski Brothers, posing as Stuart descendants, published their famous (and somewhat questionable) guide assigning tartans to clans. Whether entirely accurate or not… it stuck.
Then came tartan’s most enthusiastic champions: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Their love of Highland style—especially at Balmoral—helped spread tartan far beyond Scotland. Once it had royal approval, it quickly became both fashion and identity around the world.
These days, tartan goes well beyond clans. Traditional patterns are still worn with pride, but alongside them are tartans for places, events, companies, fashion houses, animals, causes, and more! Do you have a favourite? 💗 💚 💙 💛 🤍 🖤 🏴 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 🎉
Photo below: Tartan weaver Willie Meisle, taken circa 1930, colourized
