A revelation I had this evening

[Nighthawk]

First and foremost, to understand this post, you need to check out http://www.angusmohr.com/home.html and take a short listen to some of this band's music.

I'll wait.

There. Now that you have gotten a small taste of Angus Mohr- they are, by the way, a Colorado based band- I can explain my revelation. Angus Mohr hosted their first annual Angus Mohr's Christmas Party tonight, which is an invitation only event that I just got home from. (I know... no pictures, didn't happen. My wife managed to close our camera in the car door before the show, destroying it. Ah well...) So there I was, sitting in my seat with my daughter bopping along to the song that the band were on stage belting out, and I noticed all the modern kilts- the Utilikilts, the Amerikilts, the other kilts, all mixed in with more traditional kilts, and it occured to me- this is our culture! We have had so many discussions on this board about American Celtic culture, and have had some lambast it as a caricature of Scottish culture and some kind of latent teen angst, wannabe tribalistic joke, but the reality is- tonight, I saw a real community celebrating together. We were having our own celidh, and although there were the traditionalists (I always follow tradition at events like Christmas parties) there were the very modern New World Celts looking very New World, and we all existed side by side, shared whiskey, song, played with each others kids, chatted like old friends- and the revelation was, this is what culture and community are all about. I didn't know the names of more than 4 people there other than the band and my family, but I was there with about 400 friends. I read articles like that one posted on here recently, that Tartan Tryhards article, and it bothers me that we in America are perceived as tryhards (implying wannabes of some kind) which shows a woeful misunderstanding of us. We are not a community wanting to be Scottish at all. I realized tonight that we have really become our own Celtic nation.

[Sammac]

Sounds like the Christmas Spirit is alive and well in Colorado. The music is great, I think I'm going to order some cd's.

[NorCalPiper]

If you stop and think about it- The Utilikilt/Amerikilt/X-Kilt has done much for celtic culture expanding into a broader spectrum.

[Bugbear]

Nighthawk, you've ben being told you have little or no culture, and that the tiny sliver of culture you have is inferior because it isn't handed down, unchanged for thousands of years. I understand because I've had that thrown in my face too.

I have been reading up on our culture, and other cultures that have influenced our culture. Partly to see if those cultures have really remained unchanged for thousands of years, but to also see what I have inherited.

I look at it this way. When one culture absorbs parts of another culture either through conflict or conversion, the end result is a culture that is evolved from both.

I don't know about the term you are using... but terms and words also evolve new meanings.

To borrow a tiny bit of an idea from Hegel, we and our culture are a spirit coming into being or being born.


*Someone who has studied Hegel for years and years will probably pop up and tell me that isn't what Hegel was talking about, but such is life...

[Brother Falldown]

Hmmm... Scot wannabe? No I don't think I ever considered myself a Scot or for that matter wanted to be. I'm a sixth generation American who by chance enjoys piping and wears a kilt. While I can trace my linage back to Antrim I have never felt any ties to Antrim. Am I Celtic, I think so, but certainly a "New World" Celt.

[Lyle1]

I agree. I feel a strong connection to my Celtic roots, but I don't want to be Scottish (or Irish). I was raised as an American in a multicultural environment, and part of that upbringing was a sense that I could enjoy it all, and I could do it in my own way, merging and adapting customs to to please myself and the people around me.

[CDNSushi]

Some good thoughts, Nighthawk. And thank you for introducing me to a b#tchin' band! They sound great!

[BroosterB1]

My dear other brother whom I've never met, exactly so. Last night a friend threw her annual Christmas bash, I got a lot of questions as to why I was kilted, some asking if I was Scottish, others if I was going to play the pipes.

Mind you there were people there who wear dressed, well let us say creatively. The point was not our differences, but rather our commonality. We shared food, good conversation, good music and in the end gained to know a bit about each other, sharing each others light.

I was approached by a young man wearing a pentacle, who was extremely knowledgeable about comparative spirituality. The discussion was enlightening and refreshing on both sides; I gained a greater understand of his take on the Old Religion and I believe he got a deeper understanding of Universalism/Science of Mind.

As Ted says, all cultures adapt and change. Let us hold to these things we find special and celebrate the inclusion of different cultural elements; we will find in the end we are all but shades of the same Light.

Blessed Be...

[Bigkahuna]

What wonderful sentiments. Truly in keeping with the spirit of the season. I couldn't agree more.

[Highlander31]

Great band, Nighthawk.

I'm a third generation American. Both Great Grand Fathers came here in the 1800's. Irish on my Father's side and Scot on my Mother's side. I have always considered myself to be an American of Irish/Scottish ancestry. Nothing more or less. I agree that people on the other side of the pond, do not have a real understanding of what we in this country are really about.