The first thing that pops into your head when you think of Scotland most likely would be an image of a Scotsman wearing a tartan kilt playing the traditional instrument, bagpipe. Well, this whole package can actually be spotted in Scotland’s main cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Whether outside shopping malls, next to a museum, at the city centre, in the old town area or simply randomly on a corner of a street. If the time is right, you can even catch a festival or perhaps a more formal stage performance. I was lucky enough to catch Glasgow International Piping Festivals with participants coming from around the world.
Generally, I have found those who are able to play bagpipe come from all sorts of people: teenagers, adults, professional artists, street musicians or even students. Combining the sound of bagpipe with other indigenous musical instruments is always possible, just like the street performance I watched of a man playing a bagpipe collaborated with African musicians playing tambourines. What a mix of culture.
Hardly inseparable with bagpipe, there is the Scottish tartan kilt. Tartan kilt is originally worn by Scottish men from the Highlands and each motive represents a clan. But this certainly does not restrict people from other countries from wearing them. Some even add their own style. At Glasgow International Piping Festivals, I saw a group of participants from India (or maybe Pakistan) wearing long hats, trousers (instead of kilts) and tartan motive robes.
I guess bagpipe and kilt have gone through cross cultural scheme that one can always create a unique blend of Scottish and other adopted culture.
One thing you may want to remember, never say a kilt is a skirt. Although that’s the meaning you’d find in dictionary, I got snapped at by a Scottish friend by replacing the word ‘kilt’ to ‘skirt’ in one conversation. He responded in sharp voice, “It’s not skirt”. Oops...
Ceilidh
Ceilidh (read: kay-lee), the traditional Scottish dance is one good example of how the Scottish celebrate togetherness, joy and happiness. The dance is performed by a group of people and everyone (including you!) can join. Don’t worry about how to do it, because most of the time, an instructor will lead and guide the moves and all you have to do is let your hands, body and feet go with the rhythm and the rest, just enjoy the cheerful beats of the Scottish music.
The moves are not just enjoyable to do but also to see. Often the dance requires an equal number of ladies and gentlemen to become couples, so that everyone has the chance to move around and change couple. There is also one part of the dance I remember in particular where couples stand opposite each other and place their hands together forming a tunnel, and then each couple takes turn to go through inside the tunnel rapidly. Another part is where everyone makes a circle and one female and a male dance inside the circle, then go back to their place and followed by those standing next to the previous performers.
While Ceilidh is especially held during festive moments (it is also a must-do at Burns Night, the night where Scottish commemorate the great poetry, Robert Burns), you can join the dance at the local bars when they have special events. I did the dance 3 times: with classmates and other students from the same faculty at the annual faculty ball, with other international students at an on-campus bar called Todd’s Bar and with the locals celebrating Burns Night at a friend’s house in Dunkeld.
Each one has left me with wonderful experience. It’s just so excited when you get yourself immerse with the local culture.
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