SSO Tartan Day Trivia Contest
By Andy MacCulloch and Liz Smith
Tartan Day is officially a celebration of Scottish heritage and the cultural contributions of Scottish and the Scottish diaspora, intended to recognize “the contributions of the Scots and their descendants to the social fabric of our country”, and ”the historical links between Scotland and Canada”.
About 11% or 4.7 million Canadians claim Scottish descent. The Scottish Government in Canada is very supportive of Tartan Day and works with the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO) to mark the day.
The idea of Tartan Day originated in Nova Scotia, in 1987, when Jean MacKeracher-Watson, president of the Clan Lamont Society of Canada, petitioned the provincial legislature to recognize April 6 as Tartan Day. It was later adopted by other communities of the Scottish diaspora and by Scotland itself.
The day of April 6 was chosen in line with the date on which the Scotland’s Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320 and sent to the Pope. It called for freedom from English ongoing invasion attempts under Edwards 1 and II. The Pope wrote to Edward II, urging him to make peace, and in 1328 Scotland’s independence was acknowledged.
“As long as a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be subjected to the lordship of the English…It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself”.
The Declaration of Arbroath is widely considered to even be the inspiration behind the American Declaration of Independence in 1776.
International Tartan Day is now a national day, recognized in provinces throughout Canada. It is also celebrated in various states of Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, France, and in the United States. The events typically have parades of pipe bands, highland dancing, and other Scottish-themed activities.
The SSO had fun organizing a Tartan Day Trivia contest Saturday April 6, devising questions about Canadian-Scottish connections. For example, “what ship brought some of the first Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia in 1773?” and, “what chart-topping, award-winning folk band from Glasgow appeared at a sold-out show at the NAC in February?” These and many other questions had trivia team members on their toes, and the competition was fierce! So fierce, a re-count was even required!
At the end, the team of “Scots Wha-EH” (not a typo), emerged the winners! The artfully named additional teams of: Straven, Some like it Scot, If its nae Scottish its Crap, Tartan Stitchers, Dance Moms and Dads, Royal Stewarts and Scotland is Now – of course, all gave the ultimate winners a run for their money!
In addition to the nail-biting questions in the trivia contest, we enjoyed a dance performance from the MacDonald dancers, and piping from our Board member, Donald MacDonald as well as good food, drinks, and of course banter! Thanks to our sponsors the Scottish Government and the Royal Oak. We’re aiming to have more trivia contests throughout the year so stay tuned – and stay sharp!!
Click Here to find some of the highlights!