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Tartan Day - April 6^th

Proclamation
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In recognition of the contributions made by the Scots and the Scotch-Irish to the development of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina in March, the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners issued a resolution proclaiming April 6 as Tartan Day and April as Scottish Heritage Month in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

The idea of a special day to honor early Scots and the Scotch-Irish settlers was first conceived in 1988 by the Federation of Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia, Canada. As in the United States, many Scots had come to Canada against their will and had gone on to become exemplary citizens. Many of the other provinces also felt that such a day of recognition was needed and passed Private Member’s Bills or Premier's Proclamations in support of the resolution. Scots and their descendants were encouraged to wear tartan to their places of work, play or worship in honor of their forbears and in recognition of the hardships they endured.

The date chosen, April 6th, has special significance. It is the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, the Scottish Declaration of Independence. In 1320, the Scottish Barons, locked in a struggle with Edward I, of England vowed that they would follow Robert the Bruce but, "it is not for riches, or honors, or glory that we fight, but for liberty alone, which no man loses save with his life." and further more should the Bruce waiver they would cast him out and make another king.

It is appropriate that Mecklenburg County should also choose this date to recognize its Scottish and Scotch-Irish citizens. There are many signs of those early Scottish settlers still found in the metropolitan Charlotte area. The flag of the City of Charlotte is the St. Andrew's Cross, the flag of Scotland, with the City of Charlotte's seal in the center. Even a brief study of area town and street names becomes a list of Scottish surnames and place names. However, the most notable historic parallel is the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. Although not signed until May 20, 1775, the influence and independent spirit of those Scottish Barons set an example that reverberated across the centuries. A fiercely independent spirit is still a hallmark of members of the Scottish community worldwide.

In 1981, Micheil MacDonald, F.S.T.S designed a Carolinas Tartan for the Scottish Tartan Society. This Carolinas Tartan had been adopted as the official tartan of the Catawba Valley Scottish Society. The tartan is available in cotton through the Society gift shop.

We encourage the Scottish kith and kin to get the tartan  "out of the closet" and show your colors on April 6^th each year.

Re: Plaid vs. Tartan?
Typically, A PLAIDE is a garment. Historically, it was a length of fabric wrapped around one's body in lieu of having to carry it.

The term PLAID is used to denote fabric of many colors, woven perpendicularly; that is, colors woven in the warp and the weft. It can be random or planned, even or uneven.

A TARTAN is woven to a pattern, also called a thread count, and it is designated a NAME. It has been officially designated by Lord Lyon. When ordering tartan for a kilt, it can be ordered by name and one knows what he is receiving. There are books on weavers of tartans which includes a listing of descriptions of thread counts and colors. One must have an imagination, or know the tartan already.

Please remember that TARTANS can be uneven patterns, which are not mirror-imaged. The most well-known one is Stewart Hunting. There are also Malcolm, Buchanan T Campbell of Argyll, Kilgour, Dress MacDonald, MacAlpine, and Maple Leaf. There may be others.

There are plaids that are even mirror images or tartan look-alikes, but have not been officially honored by Lord Lyon. In the trade these are known as "fashion plaids".