Wednesday 31 March 2010

K is for...

Kilt

Kilts are not skirts. Just to get that out of the way. Yes, they look like it, but they are not. Kilts are kilts! Anyway...

Kilts are part of the Scottish national dress and are most commonly known to be worn by men. They are enhanced by the sporran (the little bag type thingy you can see in the photo). They originated from the day to day wear of men and boys in the 16th century, but over the years they have become more and more ceremonial. Although lately the day to day aspect has become more popular again.

The colours of the kilt are decided by your family or clan (which is a family plus loyal employees and their families) and are called tartans. If you want to buy your own kilt, you can do, just make sure the tartan you use is not one that is already in use by some family or other. You can have your own family tartan made, so you will always be unique! The boy/man in the photo worked at Glenfiddich Distillery and wore this as part of his uniform. So, it would be reasonable to believe that this tartan is a more or less generic tartan.

And if you want to know what a proper Scotsman wears underneath his kilt? According to one person I met, he wore shoes and socks underneath...

For more K words from around the world, please check out ABC Wednesday and join in the fun!

12 comments:

  1. My bf here in Nebraska is a Scot and she's been here just a year. Her husband (American) wore a kilt last year when they married. You're right, nothin' beneath but the socks and shoes.

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  2. Really nothing beneath besides shoes and socks? Anyhow, that is a great tradition that Scot got in their culture. A good word for letter K. Thanks for sharing!

    ABC Wednesday~Keyhole

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  3. Hi!
    Great "K" post. I think the guys look very nice dressed in their Kilts. Have a great day!

    Sherrie
    Sherrie's Stuff

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  4. Real men can wear kilts. :-) Thanks for sharing a little history about the Scottish tradition.

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  5. I thought for years, as did my father's family, that my ancestry was Scottish. It was only when I finally traced it on web geneology sites that I was disillusioned. I even thought I had a family kilt! I feel bereft of my imaginary ancestry

    Excellent post!

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  6. My brother-in-law has a kilt; not my style. But attractive.

    On behalf of the ABC Wednesday team, thank you!

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  7. One has got to have pretty good looking knees to wear the kilt properly. Great post Mara.

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  8. My father's family has a tartan, but I've never worn it because it's basically yellow! I simply don't like it much. :(

    Good one for K!

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  9. Interesting post, if you would care for more information on the kilt and its history, then please visit my site at http://www.your-kilt.com
    where you can also find photographic evidence of what is not worn under the kilt.

    Kindest Regards,

    David.

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  10. I just can't seem to get use to men in them. I have heard so many times that they wear nothing underneath! It is a very nice tradition and having your own plaid pattern would be awesome.

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  11. It's an odd thing to wear and even odder that it seem so cool to so many now.

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Any weighty (and not so weighty) comments are welcome!