Tartan Day 2027 is on Tuesday

About Tartan Day

The date comes from the Declaration of Arbroath, dated April 6, 1320. It was a letter from Scotland's nobles to Pope John XXII, written in Latin and sealed rather than signed, asking him to recognize Scotland as an independent kingdom and Robert the Bruce as its rightful king. The surviving copy is held by National Records of Scotland. Tartan Day uses the anniversary to celebrate Scottish culture abroad, from clan societies and pipe bands to Highland dancing and, of course, tartan.

The modern observance began in Canada. According to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, the day started in the late 1980s in Nova Scotia, where the provincial government declared it an official day, and other provinces followed. On October 21, 2010, the federal Minister of Canadian Heritage declared April 6 Tartan Day across Canada.

In the United States, Senate Resolution 155, sponsored by Senator Trent Lott, was agreed to by unanimous consent on March 20, 1998, and designated April 6 of each year as National Tartan Day to honor the contributions of Scottish Americans. Its preamble asserts that the American Declaration of Independence was modeled on the Declaration of Arbroath and that almost half of its signers were of Scottish descent; those are the resolution's own claims. The House followed with House Resolution 41, passed by voice vote on March 9, 2005, and President George W. Bush proclaimed April 6, 2008, as National Tartan Day.

Tartan Day is a heritage celebration, not a public holiday. Scottish societies, clan associations and pipe bands mark it with parades, ceilidhs, church services and tartan-wearing events on or around the date.

Sources: Congress.gov: S.Res.155, 105th Congress (1998), GovInfo: S.Res.155 text as agreed to by the Senate, Congress.gov: H.Res.41, 109th Congress (2005), George W. Bush White House archives: Proclamation, National Tartan Day, 2008, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia: Tartan Day in Canada, National Museums Scotland: The Declaration of Arbroath. How we check dates.

How to mark Tartan Day

• Wear a tartan scarf, tie or kilt, and if your family has a clan or district tartan, find out its history.
• Read an English translation of the Declaration of Arbroath and talk about why its arguments about independence still get quoted.
• Go to a Tartan Day parade, ceilidh or pipe band performance run by a local Scottish society.
• Trace Scottish ancestors through census, parish and emigration records available through archives and libraries.
• Cook a Scottish dish such as Scotch broth, cullen skink or shortbread and share the recipe.

Tartan Day dates