RCSignals
04-05-2005, 06:07 PM
Greetings for National Tartan Day – April 6, 2005!
For many people, National Tartan Day is a day of remembrance as much as celebration. It is a day when we remember that one way or another, one day our families left their homes in Scotland and traveled across the sea to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and so many other places. With them they brought bits of their homes, their cherished tartan and bagpipes, and their skill and industry. They built new lives and helped build nations. Today, we celebrate their achievement which led to our own. We seek to educate so that the memory and achievement of our families and Scots everywhere will not be forgotten. Thus remembering, informed by our past we seek to understand the present as we step into the future together in the hope of building a better life for us all.
There are nearly as many descendants of Scots living in Canada as there are people living in Scotland; almost 5 million. In the US there are more than 12 million people of Scottish descent. National Tartan Day became a holiday when first enacted by the Canadian government in 1993, and then by the US 1997. Today, it is also a holiday in Scottish communities from Australia to Iceland, and around the world. Last year, it also became a holiday in Angus, Scotland – see “Scotland’s Tartan Day is returning to Arbroath in Scotland for the second year running. This now international event highlights an annual celebration of all things Scottish.” - http://www.scotlandstartandaycom/
What does Scotland mean on National Tartan Day 2005?
Is it about tartan and bagpipes, or is it about families and health care, education and self-reliance, entrepreneurship and the environment, culture and innovation, the history of Scots around the globe or the future of contemporary Scots as global players, or is it about all of these?
Is it a day to celebrate the best of our heritage and the land where our families began, a day to learn about the rich culture and enjoy the deep passion we feel toward this rarest of gifts, Scotland and its people?
Why is National Tartan Day a holiday?
Is it because the Declaration of Arbroath on April 6, 1320 is household knowledge, or because Braveheart William Wallace was executed for leading his belief in freedom 750 years ago (his true sword will be on display in NYC in its first trip outside of Scotland), is it because Scotland in 2005 is as it was then, or is it because each of us relishes the spirit of independence and cherishes the freedom that date represents?
Is it because the 1747 Act of Proscription (repealed in 1782), and in 2005 Cambridge University prohibit wearing the kilt, or is it that our beloved tartan is a reflection of the hues and tones of human experience that bind us together from every corner of the world where Scots helped build a better life for themselves and those around them?
Is it because Voltaire said “We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation.”, because the great French philosopher saw the ideas that shaped modern western society and philosophical inquiry in the 18th century “Scottish Enlightenment”, or is it because those same ideas thrive in contemporary Scotland today?
Is it because Scots everywhere, past and present, contribute to the world in every walk of life from science to the arts, because they are famous, or is it because they are like us, our families, friends and neighbors, you and I?
Is it because Scots alone built so many great nations, because Scots have a corner on self-reliance and courage of conviction, or is it because the ideals and values of a people provided a vision and voice carrying inventiveness, art and healing round the world?
How can we make this celebration meaningful to them?
There are so many ways to add meaning to this celebration. Honor your family, your heritage by learning more about contemporary Scotland and its people today. On National Tartan Day, 2005, wherever you are, share the celebration of contemporary and historic Scotland.
Start today to:
- welcome contemporary Scots to the world stage and encourage them to seek consistent self-reliance, trust and risk-taking, creativity and innovation as full players in the global marketplace
- remind your local and national elected officials that more than 12 million Scottish Americans and 5 million Scottish Canadians VOTE, and we like to see our political representatives celebrate with us as they do with other cultures on their holidays
- share that message with your local media to remind them that their Scottish subscribers like to see stories about our cultural celebrations too
- read the Scottish news online at:
- BBC Scotland - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/default.stm ,
- The Scotsman - http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/ , and
- The Herald - http://www.theherald.co.uk/ ,
- And now in the US on PBS, Tartan TV, see channel listings by state online at: http://www.tartan.tv/Web/Site/NewSite/WhatisTTV/Tartan_TV_on_PBS.asp
- encourage the organizations and institutions with whom you are affiliated to engage with like organizations and institutions in Scotland including professional organizations, trade, church, universities, colleges, schools, hospitals, literary, artistic, cultural, athletic, research, etc
- encourage political, civic, fraternal, and religious groups to observe the contributions of Scots with declarations, services of commemoration, blessing of the tartans, exhibitions of Scottish life, crafts, trades, science and medicine, AND celebrate contemporary Scotland
- go to Scotland, bring your gift to Scotland, what you do is what you can do, go meet Scots, learn from them share with them, work with them, offer what you can, do what you do with contemporary Scotland
- ensure that Scotland is included and understood in local discussions of diversity, immigration, religious freedom, education in schools, churches, libraries, colleges, etc
- go beyond Braveheart to learn about and tell the stories of your family and your part of Scotland, where your people come from, and where they live today, what they did, how they came to where you are now AND what as Scots you are doing today
- ask Scottish Development International, http://www.scottishdevelopmentinterna tional.com/pages/index.asp how you can help them help develop economic ties between the companies and schools, hospitals and municipalities where you work and those who do the same in Scotland today
- write to your local, regional, and national, Congressional or Parliamentary delegation on behalf of improved connections with contemporary Scotland
- ask your local, regional television, radio and print media including CBC, PBS, NPR, CBC Radio, the Travel/Discovery Channel, HGTV, etc to celebrate contemporary Scotland; ask them to produce feature programs about Scotland as they do about other countries, see http://www.cbc.ca/ , http://www.npr.org/ , http://www.pbs.org/ , http://cbc.radio-canada.ca/index.asp , http://travel.discovery.com/ , http://www.hgtv.com/
- hold your own National Tartan Day celebration in every city and town across your country to encourage family and neighbors to embrace contemporary Scotland
What does contemporary Scotland mean to you on National Tartan Day 2005?
"Figh breacan an ama tha romhainn, Alba ar latha-ne, ionnsaich e, gabh ris, cuir ris."*
"Weave the tartan of tomorrow, contemporary Scotland, learn it, love it, invest in it."
"Moran taing," Many thanks,
Chris
http://heritage.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=261&id=269712005
Dr. Christopher Pratt
globalscot - http://www.globalscot.com/public/index.aspx
74th Chief, New York Caledonian Club, 1856 - http://nycaledonian.org
Board Member At Large, Clan Grant Society USA - http://www.clangrant-us.org/ - "Tenons Ferme", Stand Fast!
Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York, 1756 - http://www.standrewsny.org/
Founding Director, National Tartan Day - New York, 2003 - http://www.tartanweek.com/
Saint David's Society of the State of New York
Friends of Scotland UK - http://www.friendsofscotland.gov.uk/
National Trust for Scotland - http://www.nts.org.uk/web/site/home/home.asp?
Historic Scotland - http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/
Scottish Heritage USA, Inc - http://www.scottishheritageusa.org/
646-314-8464
"Cuimhnich air na daoine on tàinig thu."* Remember those from whom you are descended.
*Translation thanks to Scotland's only Gaelic College, Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Sleat, Isle of Skye, University of the Highlands and Islands by Iain MacDiarmaid and Susie Hardy - http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/
AND
Dean
Columbia University, 1754
Career Education
212-854-3376
FAX: 212-854-1539
cgp2002@columbia.edu
http://www.cce.columbia.edu
East Campus, Lower Level
2960 Broadway - Mail Code 5727
NY, NY 10027-6902
For many people, National Tartan Day is a day of remembrance as much as celebration. It is a day when we remember that one way or another, one day our families left their homes in Scotland and traveled across the sea to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and so many other places. With them they brought bits of their homes, their cherished tartan and bagpipes, and their skill and industry. They built new lives and helped build nations. Today, we celebrate their achievement which led to our own. We seek to educate so that the memory and achievement of our families and Scots everywhere will not be forgotten. Thus remembering, informed by our past we seek to understand the present as we step into the future together in the hope of building a better life for us all.
There are nearly as many descendants of Scots living in Canada as there are people living in Scotland; almost 5 million. In the US there are more than 12 million people of Scottish descent. National Tartan Day became a holiday when first enacted by the Canadian government in 1993, and then by the US 1997. Today, it is also a holiday in Scottish communities from Australia to Iceland, and around the world. Last year, it also became a holiday in Angus, Scotland – see “Scotland’s Tartan Day is returning to Arbroath in Scotland for the second year running. This now international event highlights an annual celebration of all things Scottish.” - http://www.scotlandstartandaycom/
What does Scotland mean on National Tartan Day 2005?
Is it about tartan and bagpipes, or is it about families and health care, education and self-reliance, entrepreneurship and the environment, culture and innovation, the history of Scots around the globe or the future of contemporary Scots as global players, or is it about all of these?
Is it a day to celebrate the best of our heritage and the land where our families began, a day to learn about the rich culture and enjoy the deep passion we feel toward this rarest of gifts, Scotland and its people?
Why is National Tartan Day a holiday?
Is it because the Declaration of Arbroath on April 6, 1320 is household knowledge, or because Braveheart William Wallace was executed for leading his belief in freedom 750 years ago (his true sword will be on display in NYC in its first trip outside of Scotland), is it because Scotland in 2005 is as it was then, or is it because each of us relishes the spirit of independence and cherishes the freedom that date represents?
Is it because the 1747 Act of Proscription (repealed in 1782), and in 2005 Cambridge University prohibit wearing the kilt, or is it that our beloved tartan is a reflection of the hues and tones of human experience that bind us together from every corner of the world where Scots helped build a better life for themselves and those around them?
Is it because Voltaire said “We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation.”, because the great French philosopher saw the ideas that shaped modern western society and philosophical inquiry in the 18th century “Scottish Enlightenment”, or is it because those same ideas thrive in contemporary Scotland today?
Is it because Scots everywhere, past and present, contribute to the world in every walk of life from science to the arts, because they are famous, or is it because they are like us, our families, friends and neighbors, you and I?
Is it because Scots alone built so many great nations, because Scots have a corner on self-reliance and courage of conviction, or is it because the ideals and values of a people provided a vision and voice carrying inventiveness, art and healing round the world?
How can we make this celebration meaningful to them?
There are so many ways to add meaning to this celebration. Honor your family, your heritage by learning more about contemporary Scotland and its people today. On National Tartan Day, 2005, wherever you are, share the celebration of contemporary and historic Scotland.
Start today to:
- welcome contemporary Scots to the world stage and encourage them to seek consistent self-reliance, trust and risk-taking, creativity and innovation as full players in the global marketplace
- remind your local and national elected officials that more than 12 million Scottish Americans and 5 million Scottish Canadians VOTE, and we like to see our political representatives celebrate with us as they do with other cultures on their holidays
- share that message with your local media to remind them that their Scottish subscribers like to see stories about our cultural celebrations too
- read the Scottish news online at:
- BBC Scotland - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/default.stm ,
- The Scotsman - http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/ , and
- The Herald - http://www.theherald.co.uk/ ,
- And now in the US on PBS, Tartan TV, see channel listings by state online at: http://www.tartan.tv/Web/Site/NewSite/WhatisTTV/Tartan_TV_on_PBS.asp
- encourage the organizations and institutions with whom you are affiliated to engage with like organizations and institutions in Scotland including professional organizations, trade, church, universities, colleges, schools, hospitals, literary, artistic, cultural, athletic, research, etc
- encourage political, civic, fraternal, and religious groups to observe the contributions of Scots with declarations, services of commemoration, blessing of the tartans, exhibitions of Scottish life, crafts, trades, science and medicine, AND celebrate contemporary Scotland
- go to Scotland, bring your gift to Scotland, what you do is what you can do, go meet Scots, learn from them share with them, work with them, offer what you can, do what you do with contemporary Scotland
- ensure that Scotland is included and understood in local discussions of diversity, immigration, religious freedom, education in schools, churches, libraries, colleges, etc
- go beyond Braveheart to learn about and tell the stories of your family and your part of Scotland, where your people come from, and where they live today, what they did, how they came to where you are now AND what as Scots you are doing today
- ask Scottish Development International, http://www.scottishdevelopmentinterna tional.com/pages/index.asp how you can help them help develop economic ties between the companies and schools, hospitals and municipalities where you work and those who do the same in Scotland today
- write to your local, regional, and national, Congressional or Parliamentary delegation on behalf of improved connections with contemporary Scotland
- ask your local, regional television, radio and print media including CBC, PBS, NPR, CBC Radio, the Travel/Discovery Channel, HGTV, etc to celebrate contemporary Scotland; ask them to produce feature programs about Scotland as they do about other countries, see http://www.cbc.ca/ , http://www.npr.org/ , http://www.pbs.org/ , http://cbc.radio-canada.ca/index.asp , http://travel.discovery.com/ , http://www.hgtv.com/
- hold your own National Tartan Day celebration in every city and town across your country to encourage family and neighbors to embrace contemporary Scotland
What does contemporary Scotland mean to you on National Tartan Day 2005?
"Figh breacan an ama tha romhainn, Alba ar latha-ne, ionnsaich e, gabh ris, cuir ris."*
"Weave the tartan of tomorrow, contemporary Scotland, learn it, love it, invest in it."
"Moran taing," Many thanks,
Chris
http://heritage.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=261&id=269712005
Dr. Christopher Pratt
globalscot - http://www.globalscot.com/public/index.aspx
74th Chief, New York Caledonian Club, 1856 - http://nycaledonian.org
Board Member At Large, Clan Grant Society USA - http://www.clangrant-us.org/ - "Tenons Ferme", Stand Fast!
Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York, 1756 - http://www.standrewsny.org/
Founding Director, National Tartan Day - New York, 2003 - http://www.tartanweek.com/
Saint David's Society of the State of New York
Friends of Scotland UK - http://www.friendsofscotland.gov.uk/
National Trust for Scotland - http://www.nts.org.uk/web/site/home/home.asp?
Historic Scotland - http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/
Scottish Heritage USA, Inc - http://www.scottishheritageusa.org/
646-314-8464
"Cuimhnich air na daoine on tàinig thu."* Remember those from whom you are descended.
*Translation thanks to Scotland's only Gaelic College, Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Sleat, Isle of Skye, University of the Highlands and Islands by Iain MacDiarmaid and Susie Hardy - http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/
AND
Dean
Columbia University, 1754
Career Education
212-854-3376
FAX: 212-854-1539
cgp2002@columbia.edu
http://www.cce.columbia.edu
East Campus, Lower Level
2960 Broadway - Mail Code 5727
NY, NY 10027-6902