Scottish Cultural Icons
Whiskey
Acknowledged as Scotland's national drink, whisky has been
produced here for longer than anyone can remember. Something that
began centuries ago as a way of using up rain-soaked barley after a
wet harvest, the whisky industry has now grown into one of the
country's biggest earners, bringing in hundreds of millions of
pounds every year.
The Kilt
Scotland’s national dress is the Kilt. The kilt is a knee-length
garment with pleats at the rear and is made from various different
tartans. Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal
and vertical bands in multiple colours. Each tartan has its own
unique design and was traditionally used to identify and
distinguish the many Clans throughout Scotland.
The Bagpipes
Bagpipes are the tradition musical instrument of Scotland but
they can also be found throughout the world in a variety of
different cultures. This instrument is based on the aerophone class
of instrument and consists of it being filled with air by the
musician. The air is gathered in a bag, then expelled and
controlled to create musical notes. Piping Live is the world’s
biggest international piping festival that takes place annually in
Glasgow throughout the month of August and attracts competitors
from across the globe.
The Thislte
The Thistle is the Flower of Scotland and is one of the most
well-known, and easily recognized, Scottish emblems. According to
legend, an invading Norse army was attempting to sneak up at night
upon a Scottish army's encampment. During this operation one
barefoot Norseman had the misfortune to step upon a thistle,
causing him to cry out in pain, thus alerting Scots to the presence
of the Norse invaders. The Norwegian king withdrew his army and the
thistle became the Scottish national symbol. The first use as a
royal symbol was on silver coins issued by James III in 1470, and
the Order of the Thistle was founded by James VII in 1687. Today it
is represented in many sports including Scottish football, Scottish
rugby and it was also used in the 1970 British Commonwealth Games
logo.
The Loch Ness Monster
The tale of the Loch Ness monster has become part of Scottish
history. Reports of a mysterious highland creature in Loch Ness go
back to around the 6th century. Several scientific studies have
been conducted, including thorough sonar surveys of the loch, and
these have not revealed any presence of such a "monster". Many
people believe that the 21 mile length and 800 feet depth of the
loch, together with potential underwater caves, gives the monster
many places to hide.
To find out more about Scottish culture vist http://www.visitscotland.com/ and
www.glasgowlife.org.uk