(Original at http://newglasgownews.com/index.cfm?sid=21028&sc=49)

The News, Pictou County, Nova Scotia

PICTOU – Tartan Day is more than just an excuse to wear a kilt.

On April 6, 1320, a day that eventually came to be celebrated as Tartan Day in Nova Scotia and around the world, the Declaration of Arbroath was signed. On that historic day, a letter from Scottish barons and nobles addressed to Pope John XXII asked him to recognized Scotland's independence from England.

"That day was recognized as an important day, marking the Scottish declaration of independence," said Andrew Lindsay, a Pictou town councillor and a member of St. Andrew's Society.

And then in 1986, Jean Watson and the Federation of Nova Scotia Clans of Antigonish petitioned to have April 6 designated as a day to recognize and celebrate Scottish history. Her efforts paid off one year later when a resolution passed in Province House.

Tartan Day is a day that is particularly meaningful to Lindsay. After all, the Declaration of Arbroath was signed by one of his own clansmen. And so Lindsay proudly celebrates the day the Scots established their independence.

He marvels at the fact that Tartan Day began as a Nova Scotian celebration, and is now celebrated worldwide.

"It was invented in Antigonish, and so it's quite an accomplishment that this celebration has become universal."

Meanwhile, Robert Hanes, president of the St. Andrew's Society, said the tartan itself has a special meaning to Scots.

Back in the 1300s, "the tartan was the symbol that held the clans together when they were oppressed by the English," he explained.

When Scots were banned by the English from displaying or referencing anything Scottish, they often hid pieces of their tartans in their pockets or underneath clothing.

"As long as they had a piece of their tartan, they felt they were maintaining a piece of their heritage," Hanes said.

Sandy MacGregor, secretary of the St. Andrew's Society, said Tartan Day serves as a reminder of the accomplishments of Scots throughout their rich history.

"There's so much Scottish culture here (in Nova Scotia) that we tend to take it for granted," he said. "This is an opportunity to remember what our Scottish heritage means to us."