Don't be too hard on cessna, team Crawford. I think he was just trying to say that the Edinburgh Gathering is nothing too special here in Scotland so if anyone can't make it this time there are always plenty of others.
I understand where you are coming from too, and it is an excellent excuse to "revel in your heritage" but for most Scots it isn't actually all that big a deal. Most Scottish newspapers are usually pretty cynical anyway about the whole tartan, shortbread, kilts and bagpipes thing and look on it as something that is laid on mainly for the tourists not really the locals.
As for heading off to Spain, well as an Edinburgh resident it can be frustrating trying to go about your business in the city when it is seething with visitors. Especially when you can't get on your bus home because it is already full to capacity with tourists or you are in a rush somewhere and your way is blocked by a crowd pointing at the castle and taking photos. So getting away from it all can seem attractive ... so saying we are a long-suffering lot and usually endure it all patiently.