I was charmed, last week, while waiting in line for a chairlift, to hear a voice from behind holler "I say is that Anderson Tartan!". "Why Yes! I replied ...well spotted Sir!" There wasn't much time to chat , however thanks to my scarf two people queuing for a ski lift could establish their shared ancestry and could ponder, as they were transported up the hill, how they might be connected.
How fabulous I thought, and how smart of those Scots to create clothing that represented their clan.
That was until I read a little more about it and learned that Scottish tartan, used as early as the third or fourth century AD, originally had no names or symbolic meaning at all. While certain colours and motifs were more popular in some areas than others, there was no clan tartan system in place by design.
According to the Scottish Tartans Museum, it wasn't until the early nineteenth century that the idea of tartans representing clans took shape and, when in 1815 the Highland Society of London wrote to all the clan chiefs asking them to submit a sample of their clan tartan, most of them didn't even know what their tartan was.
It was a later movement led by Sir Walter Scott which revived the popularity of tartan and their association to clans and created the legacy of tartan which we know today. So its not too late for us to do the same!
A family tartan or family fabric is a marvellous idea and everyone should have one. Wearing your family cloth, like tartan will identify your allegiance to your clan and whatever it stands for.
Highlanders, traditionally would have selected their tartan using available sources, and the colour and pattern was chosen and approved by the clan chief. If I was chief I'd probably choose something like pink and white polka dots as I'm quite fond of those, however somehow, I think the rest of my clan might disapprove. Tweed, gingham, zebraprint, fleece.....what would be your family fabric be?
No comments:
Post a Comment