Tartan Etiquette

[Manxstralian]

Be that as it may, I think the idea is very relevant to this discussion. When your ancestors left the old country 4 or 5 or even more generations ago, sometimes in murky and unrecorded circumstances, any clan affiliation was often broken and left behind as well. Families themselves were often broken up. Language and culture was lost or was changed by 'rose-coloured memory'. When you are removed from your place of origin and are no longer surrounded by a large number of people who are directly related to you, the need to 'reconnect' with your origins can be very strong.


So I think the simple rule of 'wear the tartan of your father's line' is entirely appropriate for people who still live in the UK. I think it is much less straightforward for the Celtic diaspora who feel a strong need to reconnect with the culture of their ancestors by wearing the kilt, but they aren't sure of the connection (because the link was broken long ago), their family histories are complex or simply not known, and there is no cultural context to help them.

I agree with you absolutely in this case. It took me a trip to the UK to really understand where I came from, and to feel any kind of real connection with my ancestral roots.

As one without a clan, and a very disparate extended family (exacerbated somewhat by fratricide and family feuds in the 19th century here in Australia), I have never met a person with my surname (Brew) who I was not related to within three generations.

Lacking a family history in one's own country, and lacking the connections in the "old country" to get a sense of where I came from, is it so surprising that I connect with a general "Celticness" as a way to give myself a tradition to cling to?

I'm not sure, but it's something I think about a lot, especially as I get older.

Cheers,

Cameron