Scottish Blog

Tartan Day is a celebration of the Scottish culture and ancestry of many North Americans.

With Scotland’s strong ties to North American settlement and the bond that many hold towards their Scottish heritage, it is unsurprising that a day would be held to celebrate the links that many North Americans hold to Scotland.

Currently, Tartan Day is held on the 6th of April of every year, the same date as the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath. Predominantly, celebrations are held in the biggest cities of North America. Recent events saw celebrities like Sean Connery attend celebrations in Washington D.C. and the sword of William Wallace leave Scotland for the first time in over seven hundred years, to be displayed in New York at the 2005 celebration.

In Canada, Tartan Day has been held on the 6th of April since 1986, when it was promoted by the Federation of Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia. In the United States of America Tartan Day has been celebrated since 1998. Previous to this Tartan Day was held as a one-time event, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Repeal of the Act of Proscription of 1747.