I have a strong Scottish heritage on my mother's side of the family. This is because I have been closer to my maternal relatives than my paternal relatives due to various events and actualities during my lifetime.
Tartan Day is a North American celebration of Scottish heritage on April 6.
This corresponds to that date upon which the Declaration of Arbroath, the declaration of Scottish independence written in Latin submitted to Pope John XXII confirming Scotland's status as an independent, sovereign state and defending Scotland's right to use military action when unjustly attacked was signed in 1320.
Tartan Day originated in Canada in the mid-1980s. It has spread to other communities of Scottish immigration in the 1990s.
Australia has a similar International Tartan Day which is held on July 1.
This date corresponds to 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, games of strength and skill, as well as Highland dancing and other Scottish-themed events.
We have a local celebration called Tartan Day South held in Cayce, South Carolina and at other nearby venues.
It is held in the finest tradition of the original Highland Games and Celtic Festivals.
Tartan Day South is cancelled for the year of 2020 due to concerns about COVID-19.
It is planned to resume in 2021.
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