Tartan Day

It’s a strange thing, but St Andrew’s day is celebrated more by Scots abroad than in their own country. The Scots abroad are more patriotic than those at home. In the United States of America and Canada in particular, thousands of people of Scots descent take a great deal of pride in the significant part that the Scots emigrants have played in their country’s history. In addition to St Andrews Day and Burns Day, another date has entered the calendars of those of Scots ancestry in the USA and Canada. In recognition of the Scots’ contribution to the shaping of both countries, Tartan Day is now officially
recognised as a day of celebration. It was first celebrated nationally in Canada in 1993 and in 1997, the United States followed suit. It was officially recognised by a Resolution of the American Senate in 1998. The chosen date for celebrating Tartan Day is April 6th. It was on this day in 1320 that the Declaration of Arbroath was signed. The American Declaration of Independence was modelled to a considerable extent on the Declaration of Arbroath. Tartan Day is now a day when all organisations in Canada and the US with Scottish connections pay tribute to famous and influential Scots in
their country’s past, to the contributions they made in politics and government, education, science and many other spheres of human activity.

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