The History Of the Kilt
Discovering your culture and the different types of ancestry that you come from can be an exciting as well as eye opening thing. In past blogs I have touched on topics about keeping your culture alive. Today we are going to continue on that theme and look at a certain aspect of, what I have discovered, crosses over many of the cultures of my ancestors.
Discovering your culture, Discovering your ancestry, is something I think we should all do to help figure out where we came from. What contributed to the life we have today? I have written about keeping languages alive, wars, imprisonment and people being enslaved and driven from their homelands. All things that have affected many of our Ancestors and cultures. But what about specific things that may define or give hints to a culture when you see them? Let's look at one of those specific, small cultural things today. The Kilt.
When you hear the word Kilt, you may be like me and think of Scottish or Irish or bagpipes. What exactly is a Kilt? What significance did it have on what cultures? Where did it originate? Let's discover the history of the Kilt.
A Kilt is a garment that resembles a wrap-around knee length skirt. Made traditionally with a tartan pattern, the Kilt is made of twill-woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back.
The Kilt originated in the Scottish Highlands as traditional dress for men. It was first recorded in the 16th century as the great Kilt, the filleadh mor, a full length garment with the upper half being worn as a cloak. The small or modern Kilt emerged in the 18th century and is basically the bottom half of the great Kilt. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland and the Gaelic or Celtic heritage. It is more often worn by men on formal occasions and at Highland games, but has also been adapted as an item of informal male clothing returning to its roots of an everyday garment.
An English Quaker named Thomas Rawlinson of Lancashire began making the small quilt in the 1720s. His associate, Iain MacDonnell who was the chief of the MacDonnell's of Inverness, also began to make the small Kilt. When his fellow clansmen saw him making this Kilt, they began to do so as well. From there it spread among the Highlanders and the northern Lowlanders
According to the dictionary of the Scots Language, the word Kilt is of Scandinavian origin, kjalta, and means to gird up or to tuck up round the body. It has been applied to describe the traditional Scottish garment usually in a tartan pattern, the kilts worn by Irish pipe bands that are just a single color, and variants of the Scottish Kilt adopted in other Celtic nations,such as the Welsh Kilt or Cornish Kilt.
The Scottish Kilt displays uniqueness in its design and construction which enables it to be different from other kilts. It is tailored and wraps around the wearer's body at the natural waist. The fastenings are straps and buckles that are on both ends. It covers the body from the waist down to the center of the knees. The overlapping layers in the front are known as aprons. Underwear may or may not be worn and is at the preference of the wearer. However, tradition has it that a “true” Scotsman wears nothing under his Kilt.
One of the most distinctive features of an authentic Scottish Kilt is the tartan pattern,or the sett, that it exhibits. The association of specific patterns with individual clans and families can be traced back at least two centuries. The Scottish Kilt Is usually worn with Kilt hose or woolen socks that are turned down at the knee. You will also see a sporran, Gaelic for purse, which hangs around the waist from a chain or leather strap.
The Kilt was commonly worn by the Highlander culture during the pivotal uprisings in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was common practice that going into battle the Kilt would be removed and the men in the highland charge would run into battle wearing only the war shirt, a knee length shirt made of leather, linen and canvas. It was heavily pleated and sometimes quilted for protection.
Due to the Kilt being a significant symbol of the Highlander culture, after the Jacobite uprising was halted King George II imposed the Dress Act of 1746. This act would outlaw Highlander men and boys from wearing Highlander dress including the Kilt. The intent of this act was to suppress the Highlander culture. If you were caught wearing a Kilt you would receive 6 months imprisonment for the first offense and 7 years for the second. During this ban it became fashionable for Scottish romantics to wear kilts as a form of protest against the ban. This ban on kilts would last 35 years.
Once the ban was lifted the Highland land owners set up societies promoting the general use of Highland dress. Lowlanders would be encouraged to join in with the Highland dress, and for this topic the Kilt, would spread throughout Scotland.
There are so many variations of the Kilt throughout Celtic society. There are many different tartans styles associated with the Clans of Scotaland. What can we learn from the History of the Kilt?
The thing I take away is the preservation of culture. Standing up to the system who wants you to change your culture. That is what the Kilt means to me. The Romantic Scottish who defied the ban and refused to stop wearing the fabric, the garments of their culture. The men and women who refused to let their identity be taken away.
What are you being told that you “have” to do that goes against your culture and beliefs? Are you going to stand up to it? Defy it? In order to maintain your culture and your beliefs?
Back to the beginning. When I would hear and see the word Kilt, I would think of Scotland or Ireland or bagpipes. After writing this blog, when I see the word Kilt or see a Kilt, I will associate it with independence, freedom, standing up and defying the system, keeping my culture alive, honoring and respecting my ancestors. That is what the Kilt symbolizes to me now. I would, and want to, wear a Kilt today to show my defiance to the matrix, to share my ancestry and culture with others, and to honor my ancestors who were brave enough to stand against a tyrant and not be told how to live their lives. Ancestors who wanted to preserve and honor their culture.
The History of the Kilt. It is more than a garment. It is a culture. It's a way of life. It's freedom.
Blessed Be!
By Michael Walters
The Ancestor's Fire
Writing the voices of the unheard
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