How many clan tartans are there

Dress tartans — originally worn by the women of the clan, generally with a white background and lighter-coloured patterns. Hunting tartans — dark in colour and worn for sport, especially suitable when a clan possessed a brightly coloured tartan, making it unsuitable for hunting. Tartan has now gained international popularity with people selecting and sporting a design of his or her fancy. A word of warning however, the Royal tartan is for the exclusive use of the royal family and woe betide anyone who dares to break with this tradition!

Nothing defines the sound of Scotland quite like the great Highland bagpipes! How the pipes actually arrived in Scotland however, is somewhat of a mystery…. Each year almost 50, people from across the world meet in Edinburgh, to celebrate Scottish culture and heritage.

Perhaps nothing captures the spirit of Scottish culture better than the sight of Highland dancing being performed at some Highland gathering in some far flung corner of the world. But where did the sporran originate and what was its purpose? Related articles. It was assumed that tartans had always been named and these represented actual affiliations. In the Highland Society of London wrote to the clan chiefs asking them to submit samples of their clan tartans.

Many chiefs had no idea what "their clan tartan" was supposed to be and so either wrote to tartan suppliers such as Wilsons, or asked the older men of their clan if they recalled any particular tartan being worn.

All the clan chiefs were asked to come out to greet the King in their "proper clan tartan. Many new tartans were no doubt created, or renamed for the occasion. From this point on, however, the idea was firmly established that in order to even be a proper tartan, it had to be a named tartan. The story of the development of tartan lore over the course of the nineteenth century is long and complicated, and beyond the scope of this brief introduction. But with the blessing of the clan chiefs, the tradition evolved by the end of the nineteenth century that tartan was representative.

Though clan tartans are the most well known, tartans can represent many different things. Some tartans represent families, towns, district, corporations, individuals, events -- you name it! What makes a tartan "official" or "authentic" is not age or antiquity, but whether it has the approval of the governing body of what that tartan represents.

If a clan chief, or a state's legislature, or the CEO of a company says this is the official tartan, it is so, whether the tartan is two or two hundred years old. A clan tartan is one that represents your clan. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. We always find a few plaids to wear with pride. But what tartans are there for non-Scots, or if you've no connections with Scotland?

Here are seven ideas for universal tartans that can be worn by everyone. And we'll save the best for last! Today some tartans are seen as universal, so anyone can wear these plaids whatever their background. Most famous is Royal Stewart tartan, originally designed for Queen Victoria. Then there's Black Watch tartan, which now commemorates Scotland's most famous regiment. Other examples include Macleod Dress or 'Loud Macleod' to its fans. Lindsay which is so popular it's almost public property.

Dress Stewart is much loved for womenswear. And Scotland Forever is Scotland's gift to the world. Lastly wait for it!

Want to know why? The Royal Stewart tartan is the best-known plaid on the planet. Commoners soon highjacked the Royal Stewart plaid to show their royalist loyalty. So the royal family later adopted the Balmoral tartan said to have been designed by Prince Albert which convention dictates is worn only by them and the Queen's piper! Nowadays Royal Stewart is the most widely produced tartan commercially thanks to its striking red colour scheme.

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