Tartan of Holland: Dutch wearing kilts?

[Gerhard Schreurs]

Greetings from the Netherlands!

though born in Holland and proud of that, Scotland feels like a dear home country as well, as it does for many Dutch. I paid many visits, made friends, the people's character and hospitality is of a quality that the Dutch can learn quite a lot from. The tolerance for which Holland is known for, is alas often just a flavour of indifference.
As you may know, in 2005 some very eager Dutch Scotland-enthusiasts have managed to realise a Tartan of Holland. They decided to go about it all legal and proper; it was designed bij Dr. David Wishart and officially registered. I think it was a splendid job and i am proud of the result.
Here in Holland the name of Orange enjoys mixed emotions. The role of William of Orange in England and especially Ireland was controversial, to say the least. To put it bluntly: he was responsible for a bloodbath and should rather be remembered in a hall of war criminals instead of in a hall of fame. In that light i and many others consider the Orange marches in Nothern Ireland a provocation that could be dispensed with.
Be as it may, the colour of Orange is also linked to our present Royal family, which in my view does a splendid job. There are Dutch wanting to get rid of them altogether, mainly because of cost of maintenance, for which there seems little return. But i am dead against that, for without them Holland would be a mere province and docile marketplace for big economic entities like neighbouring Germany or the USA. I think the Royal family's return in international goodwill is underestimated. Tradition and history are things to be treasured and not to be redstriped by cold economists. So i am proud of our red, white and blue and also our orange, one cannot hold the present Royals accountible for actions far away in the past. On our Queen's Day (on April 30th, really the birthday of the deceased Queen Mum Juliana, which daughter Beatrix decided to honour, for hers is January the 31st) i am coloured more orange than the average Dutchman. Visit Amsterdam or The Hague on 30th of april, you will see what i mean!

That was a long introduction for my real question. As i will honour Holland and things Dutch, i am also inclined to honour all things Scottish. But i have no Scottish family of heritage whatsoever. A Clan Tartan would therefore be absolutely out of the question. For that i would have to feign things and would feel like a fraud, as would only be the right way to feel in that circumstance. The Tartan of Holland could not even be seen as a District Tartan, for no Scottish district is involved. It would at the most be a festive fantasy tartan of a company one or an officially registered one to display pride in international relations, but that's about it. How would a Dutchman be perceived wearing Tartan of Holland? How would any foreigner in a kilt be perceived in Scotland? Probably like e.g. a very eager non-Spanish Barcelona fan wearing Barcelona kit. Though not so much linked with Dutch pride and heritage as Scotch kilts are, there still are about a dozen traditional regional Dutch costumes left. The ones from Volendam, Staphorst and our province Zeeland are the best known, with traditionally adorned and painted clogs to match. I even have clogs myself. But personally i must admit that i would be amazed to encounter someone in Volendam wear, suddenly addressing me in a Glaswegian accent.
Is that the same with you? Would foreigners in kilts be seen as wannabees, overzealous tourists, consumers blinded by their romantic view of your nation? And if not, what would they have to do in order to express real honour to Scotland? For i think these matters are not to be trifled with, traditions and honour only remain strong when not exploited or mocked about with. If i would perceive the slightst hint of being out of place or order, i would not dare show a foreign tartan in Scotland, let alone dare wear a kilt.
Your advice will be most valued and appreciated! Thanks and all the best. Gerhard

[Jock Scot]

Welcome Gerhard,from Inverness-shire.I think I can speak for most Scots by saying that we would be delighted and very flattered to see you dressed in the kilt.Properly,though,please.

It has been said dozens of times that you can wear nearly any tartan you wish,but thankyou for being aware of the clan connections that some people are very proud of.Having said that,there are the district tartans that no one in Scotland would be the least bothered about if you chose one of those, and then there are the fashion tartans such as the Isle of Skye or Highland Granite,to name two,to choose from.Also,dare I suggest to a Dutchman, the Stewart tartan is available to anyone, as is the Black Watch tartan.

[Gerhard Schreurs]

Welcome Gerhard,from Inverness-shire.I think I can speak for most Scots by saying that we would be delighted and very flattered to see you dressed in the kilt.Properly,though,please.

It has been said dozens of times that you can wear nearly any tartan you wish,but thankyou for being aware of the clan connections that some people are very proud of.Having said that,there are the district tartans that no one in Scotland would be the least bothered about if you chose one of those, and then there are the fashion tartans such as the Isle of Skye or Highland Granite,to name two,to choose from.Also,dare I suggest to a Dutchman, the Stewart tartan is available to anyone, as is the Black Watch tartan.

Greetings from Amsterdam to Inverness-shire, Jock Scot! Thank you very much for your reply. Of course, this is not just a garment, wearing it is a serious matter of proper attention to detail. I know a few Dutchmen wearing the Stewart or Black Watch tartan, so they obviously chose with care and proper respect. For myself, i would probably choose the registered Holland version nonetheless, for with that choice there can be no mix-up or abuse due to "borrowing" of Scottish heritage that does not exist in reality. If asked for its origins, i could in all honesty claim that the design was carried out and registered in Scotland, but that the design itself is solely a Dutch responsibility and no attempt to feign or borrow Scottish heritage. This is how i feel it should be. A fellow responding member stated that the particular Holland tartan was, as such, a fantasy design and i am fully content with that. It is encouraging to know that wearing a district tartan is not considered to be a subject of strict abjection, it shows Scotch sportsmanship on that account as well.

Thank you very much for these helpful and welcoming words! Kind regards, Gerhard

[McClef]

Just a quickie Gerhard - the correct word is Scots not Scotch.

Hope you don't mind me pointing that out.

Scotch is used for whisky and pancakes only.

[Henk Hovenkamp]

Hello,
Anybody who has a question about the murals found at Loevestein Castle in the Netherlands can reach me at henk.hovenkamp@gmail.com .
Henk Hovenkamp

[Henk Hovenkamp]

Hello,
Anybody who has a question about the murals found at Loevestein Castle in the Netherlands can reach me at henk.hovenkamp@gmail.com .
Henk Hovenkamp

[MartinGrenoble]

First:
Wear whatever tartan you like; there are no restrictions.

2:
Not many Scots can actually recognize more than a few tartans.

3:
Dutch accents may be distinctive to a linguist's ear, but not to the average man in the street.

4:
No-one will ask you to justify what you wear -- they probably won't even notice, anyway.

5: Find out about your fellow Europeans' experiences -- they may be different from the Americans'.

Martin
in Grenoble, France,
proud owner of 15 different tartan kilts, only one of which corresponds to a family tie.

[McClef]

from South Wales UK!

Gerhard - there is no problem about wearing any tartan in Scotland (with the possible exception of the Balmoral which is limited to royalty and those given the privilege by royalty) and there are so many tartans that few Scots would recognise many of them.

And the tourists are just so glad to find someone wearing a kilt to pose with!

Most Scots will assume that anyone kilted on a weekday is a tourist or visitor anyway.

[Galician]

Welcome, Gerhard, from the former New Amsterdam!

I would respond to your comment on District tartans by pointing out that using them, especially for ones outside of Scotland, would be like wearing a cap with the name of that region. It can either mark a resident or someone who wishes they were one!

I think that your wearing a kilt, regardless of the tartan, is the biggest barrier. Given that, your wearing the Holland tartan would be perfectly appropriate. Do you intend to wear your wooden shoes with it, though?

Btw, a photo of a kilt in that tartan would be appreciated.

[Gerhard Schreurs]

Welcome, Gerhard, from the former New Amsterdam!

I would respond to your comment on District tartans by pointing out that using them, especially for ones outside of Scotland, would be like wearing a cap with the name of that region. It can either mark a resident or someone who wishes they were one!

I think that your wearing a kilt, regardless of the tartan, is the biggest barrier. Given that, your wearing the Holland tartan would be perfectly appropriate. Do you intend to wear your wooden shoes with it, though?

Btw, a photo of a kilt in that tartan would be appreciated.

Hi and greetings from old Mokum, Galician! (Mokum is slang for Amsterdam, like Apple is for NY). Indeed, the Peter Stuyvesant case, the former sea farer and governor responsible for the name New Amsterdam, haha!

Thank you for your advice! I would not dare to wear clogs underneath a kilt, that would be worse than sneakers or cowboy boots. It would be an interesting fusion style though, like cajun cooking combined with Chinese wok or jazz with grunge, but most of all it would be an insult to the kilt. Clogs are footwear made mostly from poplar wood, being both cheap and lasting and blessed with thermo-insulating qualities in winter. Clogs are associated with farmers in Holland and in the eastern agricultural province of Gelderland where i was born, clogs are still being made and worn on a daily basis by many farmers and garden enthusiasts. But they do look like you drag dog houses around on your feet, don't they? They're like the prehistoric Frankenstein beta-version of the contemporary cork and wood health sandals. The Dutch nickname Farmer's Nikes is quite apt, really.


I have no pics available of Holland tartan kilts myself, but there are some websites where they are shown. The site www.tartanofholland.nl was set up by the originators, two brothers active in the book publishing business. They brought out many Dutch whisky book translations for the growing market of Dutch whisky afficionados, and for that reason had many connections in those circles. Examples are the writers and connoisseurs Michael Jackson (not the dancing/singing one), Dave Broom and Jim Murray, the Dutch whisky writers and Scotland enthusiasts Hans Offringa and Robert Brillemans and the Scottish professor of economics and also whisky specialist Dr. David Wishart. The latter runs the site wishart.org and was responsible for the design of the Holland tartan. His site shows this process, as well as persons sporting a Holland kilt, like Hans Offringa did for the occasion of his wedding. The added pics give a good impression of how the woven pattern in those particular colours look in a kilt. The vivid mix may come across as rather bold and loud at first and certainly takes some getting used to, but i think that after a while the result looks fresh, with the risky un-Scottish orange being counteracted in a clever way by the royal blue. The impression from a distance is a speckled hue of autumn leaves brown and only gets at your throat when viewed from close-up.

Because there is some whisky aspect in the way this whole effort was initiated back in 2005, there is some serious marketing of Tartan of Holland products going on in all circles connected with the marketing of Scotch whisky, books and tourism. The most notable occasion is the Dutch Whisky Festival in Leiden (there are more similar festivals in Holland, but this is the best known), where the originators of Tartan of Holland promote their efforts and product range between all the distillers' and other Scottish fare stands. And surely there are many visitors who sport their kilts in Holland tartan during these festivals. But i, if i were wearing one, would rather be seen doing so in Scotland than in Holland on occasions like these, which i find to commercial for a reason. Allthough meant to express heartfelt feelings towards Scotland, i think such effort is better at home in Scotland itself. I compare this with the Four Day's Walks of Nijmegen, where people from all over the world visit Nijmegen every year in the summer, to join this truly sportive effort and walk 4 times 40 kilometres. Entire military units join this march, showing colours and flags from both Holland and their own nation or regiment, expressing a relation between the two. There is a reason for anyone to be filled with pride when watching those expressions, for those efforts are genuine and really what this is all about. It matters to be part in this and to join in, there is a true international spirit.

I met Dr. Wishart last year in the Leiden festival, he signed my book copy of Whisky Classified. Michael Jackson did me the same honour with his book Whiskies of the World. A wonderful and gentle person, who alas is no longer with us since last August.


And indeed, i consider wearing a kilt a bit of a barrier in Holland . "If you're so damned fond of Scotland, why not go and stay there? You resemble a soccer player with foreign interests! What's wrong with the country you were born in?" The Dutch are rather cold sober on subjects like these. Especially on city streets, it's okay for visiting Scots but less so for Dutch, certainly without Scottish background. "What makes you wear something like that? You don't see us -your dutch compatriots- mince around in clogs, let alone adopting some foreign attire!" That will be the general opinion here.

So that will take some change in my mind-set, i think.

Never mind that, your advice was helpful and much appreciated. Thank you very much indeed and best regards! Gerhard