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| Scotland is a country with an intense and living national tradition of a kind only too rare in the modern world. It is part and partner with England: a "part" by reason of the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when James VI of Scotland became the first ruler of the United Kingdom as James I of England, and a "partner" by virtue of the Union of the Parliaments in 1707. Scottish national sentiment is a spontaneous thing, neither touchy nor aggressive. If a visitor refers to "England" or "English" when he means more generally "British", he will be corrected mildly by the Scots; if he uses the inexact terms when in fact he means "Scotland" or "Scottish", the correction may be a little swifter and less mild. This Scottish national awareness is a real thing, not a mere picturesque and self-conscious survival from past ages without relevance to modern conditions. |
| Holyrood Palace Home of Scottish monarchs and official Scottish residence of UK monarchs for hundreds of years |
A wholly distinct national tradition goes into the creation of this sentiment of "Scottishness". Scotland has her own administration of government, centred in Edinburgh. She has her own national heroes; and their heroism was shown chiefly in battles against England. The fact that for nearly 200 years the Scots have fought alongside the English makes no difference. Scotland retains its own distinct sense of nationhood. Academic research consistently shows that people in Scotland feel Scottish, whilst not necessarily feeling the need to see that translated into the establishment of a fully-independent Scottish nation-state. Scotland also has its own unique family of languages and dialects, helping to foster a strong sense of "Scottish-ness". Scotland retains its own national church, separate from that of England (Church of Scotland). Scotland has its own national drink, a fact so widely known and appreciated that one need simply ask for "Scotch". It also has a distinctive national dress, the kilt. Get the spelling straight - there is no final "s". And it should be worn only by men! Scotland has its own typical musical instruments (the pipes, sometimes called the bagpipes), its own national forms of dancing (Highland dancing and Scottish country dancing), its own songs, poetry, language, traditions and education. To put the whole thing in a nutshell (кратко, в двух словах), Scotland is not England.
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Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the second largest city in Scotland and is the country's capital city. It has been the capital of Scotland since 1437 and is the seat of the country's home rule government. It is home to the Scottish Parliament.The city was one of the major centres of the enlightenment led by the University of Edinburgh.
Edinburgh is well known for the annual Edinburgh Festival, the largest performing arts festival in the world, and for the Hogmanay street party. At the time of the art festivals the population of the city doubles.
Some have called Edinburgh the "Athens of the North", for a variety of reasons. First of all the two cities have a similar topography, with the Old Town of Edinburgh performing a similar role to the Acropolis. Both then had flatter, fertile agricultural land sloping down to a port several miles away. The 18th century intellectual life, sometimes referred to as the Scottish Enlightenment, was a key influence in gaining the name. Having lost its political importance, some hoped that Edinburgh could gain a similar civilising influence on London as Athens had on Rome. Also a contributing factor was the later neoclassical architecture.
The historic centre of Edinburgh is divided into two by the broad green swath of Princes Street Gardens. To the south the view is dominated by Edinburgh Castle, perched atop an extinct volcanic crag, and the long sweep of the Old Town trailing after it along the ridge. To the north lies Princes Street and the New Town.
The Old Town has preserved its medieval plan and many Reformation-era buildings. One end is closed by the castle and the main street (the Royal Mile) leads away from it; minor streets (called closes or wynds) bud off the main spine in a herringbone pattern. Large squares mark the location of markets, or surround major public buildings such as St Giles Cathedral. This layout, typical of the old quarters of many northern European cities, is made especially picturesque in Edinburgh, where the castle perches on top of a small mountain and the main street runs down the crest of a ridge from it.
The old city is also home to some of the earliest "high rise" residential buildings. The population was for a long time reluctant to build outside the defensive wall, so, as the need for housing grew, the buildings became higher and higher. However, many of these buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1824. They were then rebuilt on the original foundations. This led to changes in the ground level and the creation of many passages and vaults under the Old Town.
The New Town was so successful that it was extended greatly. The grid pattern was not maintained, but rather a more picturesque layout was created. The varied topography of the city includes several summits which command sweeping views over Edinburgh. To the southeast of central Edinburgh stands the eminence known as Arthur's Seat. The crag is a collection of side vents of the main volcano on which Edinburgh is built. The volcano slipped and tipped sideways, leaving these vents as the highest points for miles around. Arthur's Seat is now part of Holyrood Park, originally owned by the monarch and part of the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It provides the people of Edinburgh with spectacular views of and from Arthur's Seat and somewhere to relax after a long day in the city. To the northeast, overlooking the New Town, is Calton Hill. It is topped by an assortment of buildings and monuments: two observatories, Nelson's Monument (a tower dedicated to Admiral Horatio Nelson), the old Royal High School (once almost the home of a devolved Parliament), and the unfinished National Monument.
Hogmanay
is the Scots word for the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner. Its official date is the 31 December. However this is normally only the start of a celebration which lasts through the night until the morning of the 1st or, in many cases, 2 January. There are many customs, both national and local, associated with Hogmanay.
The most widespread national custom is the practice of first-footing which starts immediately after midnight. This involves being the first person to cross the threshold (порог) of a friend or neighbour and often involves the giving of symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread or silverware intended to bring different kinds of luck to the householder. This may go on throughout the early hours of the morning and well into the next day. The first-foot is supposed to set the luck for the rest of the year, so it is important that a suitable person does the job. A tall, dark man bearing a gift is preferred.
An example of a local Hogmanay custom is t he fireball swinging which takes place in Stonehaven in north-east Scotland. This involves local people making up balls of chicken wire ((мелкая) проволочная сетка), tar (смола; деготь; гудрон), paper and other flammable material to a diameter of about a metre, or three feet. Each ball has 2 m (6 ft) of wire, chain or non-flammable rope attached. The balls are then each assigned to a swinger who swings the ball round and round their head and body by the rope while walking through the streets of Stonehaven from the harbour to the Sheriff court and back. At the end of the ceremony any fireballs which are still burning are cast into the harbour. Many people enjoy this display which is more impressive in the dark than it would be during the day. As a result large crowds flock to the town to see it.
Until the 1960s, Hogmanay in Scotland took the place of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the rest of the UK. Although Christmas Day held its normal religious nature, the Presbyterian national church, the Church of Scotland, had discouraged its celebration for over 300 years. As a result Christmas Day was a normal working day in Scotland until the 1960s and even into the 1970s in some areas. The gift-giving, public holidays and feasting associated with mid-winter were held between the 31st December and the 2nd of January rather than between the 24th and 26th December. With the fading of the Church's influence and the introduction of English cultural values via television and immigration, the transition to Christmas feasting was well-nigh complete by the 1980s. However, 1 January and 2 January remain public holidays in Scotland, despite the addition of Christmas Day and Boxing Day to the public holiday list, and Hogmanay still is associated with as much celebration as Christmas in Scotland.
Glasgow
is Scotland's largest city, situated on the River Clyde.
Known as the commercial capital of Scotland, the City of Glasgow is a bustling, cosmopolitan city. The city's name comes from the older Gaelic glas cu, meaning green hollow. The coat of arms shows Glasgow's patron saint, Saint Kentigern also known as Saint Mungo, and includes four emblems — a bird, a tree, a bell, and a fish. The emblems represent miracles Saint Mungo is reputed to have performed. The motto of the city is Let Glasgow Flourish and this is part of the arms.
In the 16th century Glasgow became a hub of trade to the Americas, especially in the movement of tobacco and sugar. The industries of Scotland produced cotton, coal and iron which were exported. Shipbuilding became a major industry on the Clyde, building many famous ships. By the end of the 19th century the city was producing most of the ships and trains in the world.
Unlike Edinburgh, very little of medieval Glasgow remains, the two main landmarks from this period being the 14th century Provand's Lordship and Glasgow Cathedral. The vast majority of the city as seen today dates from the 19th century. Many of the city's beautiful buildings were built with red or gold sandstone, but after a few years those colours disappeared under a pervasive black layer of soot and pollutants from the furnaces.
Tenements were built to house the workers who had migrated from Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, the islands and the country areas in order to feed the local need for labour; these tenements were often overcrowded and insanitary, and many developed into the Glasgow slums, the Gorbals area being one of the most notorious. In recent years many of these buildings have been cleaned and restored to their original appearance. Others were demolished to make way for large, barrack-like housing estates, and high-rise flats.
Glasgow has a long sporting history. The world's first international football match was held here in 1872. The match was between Scotland and England and resulted in a 0–0 draw. There are 3 football stadia: Celtic Park (60,832 seats); Ibrox Stadium (50,411 seats); and Hampden Park (52,670 seats). Smaller sporting facilities include an abundance of small outdoor football pitches, as well as golf clubs and artificial ski slopes.
Glaswegian is a rich and vital living dialect which gives a true reflection of the city with all its virtues and vices. It is more than an alternative pronunciation; words also change their meaning, e.g. "away" can mean "leaving". Canna means "can't". Pieces refers to "sandwiches". Ginger is any form of carbonated soft drink. Then there are words whose meaning has no obvious relationship to that in standard English: coupon means "face", via "to punch a ticket coupon".
Glasgow is also a major education centre with four universities within ten miles of the city centre: the 15th-century University of Glasgow (which has one of the highest ratios of students who continue living at home), the "redbrick" University of Strathclyde, the concrete Glasgow Caledonian University, and the University of Paisley.
Glasgow has a population of 600,000. The city provides more than 380,000 jobs in almost 11,000 companies. Primary sector industries such as shipbuilding and heavy engineering have been gradually replaced by a modern mixed economy. Glasgow's economy is now dominated by the service sector such as finance and banking, public administration, education, healthcare, hotels and tourism.
Glasgow is Scotland's largest city and is the commercial capital of Scotland. It has a large urban transportation system comprising of bus services, rail services (the Glasgow Subway is affectionately known as the 'Clockwork Orange' due to its single, circular line and the garish orange colour of the trains; A single ticket is 1 euro, and a return - 2 euros).
Loch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep freshwater lake (known in Scotland as a loch) in the Scottish Highlands, extending for approximately 37 km (23 miles) southwest of Inverness. It is the largest body of water in the geologic fault known as the Great Glen. The Caledonian Canal, which links the sea at either end of the Great Glen, uses Loch Ness for part of its route. Quite large and deep, Loch Ness has exceptionally low water visibility due to a high peat content in the surrounding soil. Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 56.4 km2 (21.8 sq mi) but due to its extreme depth is the largest by volume. The loch contains more fresh water than all that in England and Wales combined. At its deepest part, 226 m (740 feet), London's BT Tower at 189 m (620 feet) would be completely submerged.
Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the legendary Loch Ness Monster ("Nessie"), although it is scenic in its own right. Boat cruises operate from various locations along its shores giving tourists the chance to look for the monster. It also acts as the lower storage reservoir for the Foyers pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme, which was the first of its kind in Britain. The turbines were originally used to provide power for a nearby mill, but now electricity is generated and supplied to the National Grid. At its southwestern end, near Fort Augustus, one can see the only island on Loch Ness. Cherry Island is an example of a Crannog (artificial islands generally from the Iron Age).
A Burns Supper
is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns, author of the version of the Scots song Auld Lang Syne, which is generally sung at Hogmanay and other New Year celebrations around the English-speaking world. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, the 25th of January, sometimes known as Burns Night. Burns suppers are most common in Scotland.
The first suppers were held in Ayrshire at the end of the 18th century by his friends on the anniversary of his death, the 21st of July,.
The suppers may be formal or informal but they should always be entertaining. The only items which the informal suppers have in common are haggis, whisky and perhaps a poem or two. However the formal suppers, which are often held by Burns clubs follow a standard format which is as follows.
Order of the supper
Guests gather and mix as in any informal party.
The welcoming speech. The host says a few words welcoming everyone to the supper and perhaps stating the reason for it. The event is declared open.
Everyone is seated at the table(s) and grace is said, using the Selkirk Grace:
Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some would eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.
The supper then starts with the soup course. Normally a Scots soup such as Scotch Broth, Potato Soup or Cock-a-Leekie is served.
The Entrance of the Haggis. Everyone stands as the main course is brought in on a large dish. It is brought in by the cook, generally while a piper plays bagpipes and leads the way to the host's table, where the haggis is laid down. The host, or perhaps a guest with a talent, then recites the Address To a Haggis. It starts as:
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.
The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o' need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.
His knife see rustic Labour dicht,
An' cut you up wi' ready slicht,
Trenching your gushing entrails bricht,
Like ony ditch;...
If the poem is being recited with any sense of drama or humour at all, then at the line His knife see rustic Labour dicht the speaker will normally raise a knife, sharpening it menacingly, and at the line An' cut you up wi' ready slicht, plunges it into the haggis and cuts it open from end to end. When done properly this "ceremony" is a highlight of the evening.
At the end of the poem, a whisky toast will be proposed to the haggis. Then the company will sit and enjoy the meal. The main course is traditionally served with mashed potatoes and mashed turnip (репа) (=Swede/Rutabaga). A dessert course, cheese courses, coffee, etc. may also be part of the meal.
When the meal reaches the coffee stage various speeches and toasts are given. There can be the following toasts:
The Loyal Toast - The host proposes a toast to the health of the monarch (or to the leader of the country if it is not a monarchy).
The Immortal Memory - One of the guests gives a short speech, remembering some aspect of Burns' life or poetry. This may be light-hearted or intensely serious.
Toast to the Lassies - This was originally a short speech given by a male guest in thanks to those women who had prepared the meal. However nowadays it generally covers the male speaker's view on women. It is normally amusing but should never be offensive.
Reply to the Toast to the Lassies - It is also generally quite wide ranging nowadays. In it a female guest will give her views on men and reply to any specific points raised by the previous speaker.
Other toasts and speeches...
Work by Burns. After the speeches, there may be singing of songs by Burns -- Ae Fond Kiss, Parcel O' Rogues, A Man's a Man, etc -- and more poetry -- To a Mouse, To a Louse, etc.
Dancing. There may occasionally be Scottish country dancing, if the venue allows, but this is not a normal part of a Burns supper.
In Closing the host will wind things up, calling on one of the guests to give the vote of thanks, after which everyone is asked to stand, join hands, and sing Auld Lang Syne which brings the evening to an end.
Tartan Day
celebrates the existing and historical links between Scotland and Scottish descendants overseas. In the United States there are over 20 million people who claim Scots descent, and most take pride in the transatlantic connection. In North America Tartan Day is held on April 6, the anniversary of the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was created in 1320 whereas in Australia and New Zealand, it is held on July 1, the anniversary of the repeal of the Act of Proscription in 1782.
Tartan Day was the idea of Mrs Jean Watson. Throughout the late 1980s she petitioned throughout Canada for its recognition. Her efforts bore fruit when the Province of Nova Scotia did so in 1987. Other provinces began to recognise the day throughout the 1990s and as of 2004 all Canadian provinces save Newfoundland officially recognise it. The idea also took root in the United States and since 1998, the date of April 6 has been officially recognised by the United States Senate as a celebration of the contribution made by generations of Scots-Americans to the foundation and prosperity of modern America. President Woodrow Wilson, the son of a Scots Presbyterian minister, said: "Every line in America's history is a line coloured by Scottish blood."
The date of April 6 is significant in that it commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, the first known formal Declaration of independence of its kind. Not only was the United States Declaration of Independence modelled on that inspirational document but also almost half of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were of Scottish descent and the Governors in 9 of the original 13 States were of Scottish ancestry.
The Tunes of Glory Parade in 2002 saw 10,000 pipers and drummers march through the streets of New York. They were the spectacular centrepiece of the event where thousands of Americans celebrated their links to Scotland. The Tartan Day is a special day, which marks the Scots' contribution to the US, it has also been viewed as an opportunity to improve transatlantic business links.
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew is the Christian Apostle, brother of Saint Peter.
He was one of the first to follow Jesus. In the gospel (Евангелие) story he is referred to as being present on some important occasions as one of the disciples more closely attached to Jesus. Andrew preached in Asia Minor and in Scythia, along the Black Sea as far as the Volga. Hence he became a patron saint of Romania and Russia.
He is said to have suffered crucifixion (распятие на кресте) at Patras (Patrae) in Achaea, on a cross of the form called Crux decussata (X-shaped cross) and commonly known as "St Andrew's cross". According to tradition his relics were removed from Patras to Constantinople, and thence to St Andrews.
Scottish legends
About the middle of the 8th century, Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland. Concerning this there are several legends which state that the relics of Andrew were brought under supernatural guidance from Constantinople to the place where the modern St Andrews stands.
One legend says that in the late 8th century, during a joint battle with the English, King Oengus mac Fergus of the Picts and King Eochaid IV of Dalriada, saw a cloud shaped like a saltire, and declared Andrew was watching over them, and if they won by his grace, then he would be their patron saint. However, there is evidence Andrew was venerated in Scotland before this, and the two kings in question do not appear to have ruled at the same time.
A second theory as to Andrew's connection with Scotland is that, following the Synod of Whitby, the Celtic Church felt that Columba had been "outranked" by Peter. They therefore decided that the patron of the Celtic Church would now be Peter's older brother. While a satisfying piece of folklore, there is no more evidence for this than any other theory.
The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath, which declared Scottish independence from England, cites Scotland's conversion to Christianity by St. Andrew, "the first to be an Apostle", as evidence of Scotland being held in especially high regard by God.
Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, Russia, and Romania. The flag of Scotland (and consequently the Union Flag and the arms and Flag of Nova Scotia, and possibly the Confederate flag) feature a saltire in commemoration of the shape of St. Andrew's cross. St. Andrew's Day is observed on November 30 in both the Eastern and Western churches.
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