Culture of Scotland facts for kids

The culture of Scotland is all about the unique ways of life, traditions, and symbols connected to Scotland and its people. The Scottish flag is blue with a white cross, known as a saltire. This cross represents Saint Andrew, who is Scotland's patron saint.

Scottish Law: A Unique System

Scotland has its very own legal system called Scots Law. It's different from the law in England. This system mixes ideas from both civil law (like in many European countries) and common law (like in England). When Scotland joined with England, it was agreed that Scotland would keep its own laws.

In Scotland, lawyers who argue cases in higher courts are called "advocates." Also, the same judges handle both civil (non-criminal) and criminal cases in the high court. Long ago, there were other local law systems in Scotland, like Udal Law in Shetland and Orkney, which came from old Norse laws.

Money and Banks in Scotland

Banking in Scotland also has its own special features. Even though the Bank of England is the main bank for the whole UK, three Scottish banks still print their own banknotes! These are the Bank of Scotland, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and the Clydesdale Bank. So, if you visit Scotland, you might see different banknotes than in other parts of the UK.

Sports: The Home of Golf

Scotland loves sports! It competes in big events like the FIFA World Cup. However, Scotland doesn't compete on its own in the Olympic Games; Scottish athletes usually join Team GB. In athletics, Scotland has competed against Wales and Ireland in the Celtic Cup since 2006.

Scotland is famous as the "Home of Golf" and has many amazing golf courses. It's also known for its exciting Highland Games, which are athletic competitions. Other sports that started in Scotland include curling (a sport played on ice) and shinty, which is a stick game similar to Ireland's hurling. Scotland also has four professional ice hockey teams that play in the Elite Ice Hockey League. Scottish cricket is played by a smaller number of people.

Literature: Stories and Poems

Three great men of Scottish literature: busts of Burns, Scott and Stevenson.

Scotland has a long and rich history of writing. The earliest writings found in Scotland date back to the sixth century! Over time, people wrote in Latin, Old English, and then in Scottish Gaelic and Scots.

One of the first major Scottish poems was Brus by John Barbour in the 1300s. Later, kings and queens supported writers. For example, King James V's court saw plays like The Thrie Estaitis. When King James VI became king of England in 1603, many writers moved with him.

After Scotland and England officially joined in 1707, Scottish poetry became popular again. Famous writers like Allan Ramsay and Robert Fergusson emerged. James Macpherson became the first Scottish poet to be known worldwide with his Ossian Cycle. He inspired Robert Burns, who is often called Scotland's national poet. Walter Scott's Waverley Novels helped shape what people thought of as Scottish in the 1800s. Towards the end of the 1800s, Scottish authors like Robert Louis Stevenson (who wrote Treasure Island), Arthur Conan Doyle (who created Sherlock Holmes), and J. M. Barrie (who wrote Peter Pan) became famous around the world.

In the 1900s, there was a burst of new writing called the Scottish Renaissance. A key figure was Hugh MacDiarmid, who tried to bring back the Scots language for serious literature. More recently, writers like James Kelman and Irvine Welsh have become very popular. Scottish poets like Carol Ann Duffy have also gained international recognition.

Art: From Ancient Stones to Modern Masterpieces

William McTaggart, The Storm (1890)

Scotland's art history goes way back! The oldest artworks are beautifully carved stone balls from the Stone Age. Later, in the Bronze Age, people made carvings including cup and ring marks. The Iron Age brought more patterned objects and gold work.

In the early Middle Ages, there were amazing carved Pictish stones and metalwork. A common art style developed across Great Britain and Ireland, influencing detailed jewelry and illuminated manuscripts like the famous Book of Kells.

During the 1700s, Scotland started producing artists who became famous worldwide. These included Allan Ramsay and Gavin Hamilton. Towards the end of the century, Romanticism influenced art, seen in portraits by artists like Henry Raeburn. This also led to Scottish landscape paintings, especially of the Highlands.

The Royal Scottish Academy of Art was founded in 1826. Later, the "Glasgow Boys" and "The Four" (led by Charles Rennie Mackintosh) became very influential. They blended Celtic art, Arts and Crafts, and Art Nouveau styles. In the early 1900s, the Scottish Colourists brought modern art to Scotland. Today, Scotland continues to produce successful artists like Douglas Gordon and Susan Philipsz.

Scotland has many important art collections, such as the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh and the Burrell Collection in Glasgow. Famous art schools include the Edinburgh College of Art and the Glasgow School of Art.

Music: Traditional Sounds and Beyond

Scotland is known around the world for its traditional music. This music has stayed popular even as pop music became big everywhere else. Despite people moving away and new music coming in from other countries, Scottish music has kept many of its old traditions. In fact, Scottish music has even influenced many other types of music around the world!

Media: News and TV

Scotland has its own media, which is partly separate from the rest of the UK. For example, Scotland has several national newspapers like the Daily Record and The Herald. There are also Sunday newspapers and regional daily papers.

BBC Scotland provides national radio stations, including BBC Radio Scotland and a Scottish Gaelic language service called BBC Radio nan Gaidheal. BBC Scotland also runs three national television channels: a Scottish version of BBC One, the BBC Scotland channel, and the Gaelic-language channel BBC Alba. Many of their shows, like news and the soap opera River City, are made for people in Scotland. Other shows, like dramas and comedies, are for audiences across the whole UK and beyond.

Two other TV channels, STV and ITV, also broadcast in Scotland. Most of their shows are the same as in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but they have their own news, sports, comedy, and Scottish Gaelic programs.

As one of the Celtic nations, Scotland is part of the Celtic Media Festival. Scottish entries have won many awards at this festival since it started in 1980.

Food and Drink: More Than Just Haggis

Addressing the haggis during Burns supper:
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!

While some people joke about the deep-fried Mars bar, Scottish cooking offers many traditional and tasty dishes! These include fish and chips, haggis (a savory pudding), the Arbroath smokie (a type of smoked haddock), salmon, venison, cranachan (a dessert), bannock (a type of bread), stovies (a potato dish), Scotch broth (a soup), tattie scones (potato cakes), and shortbread (a buttery biscuit).

Scotland is also famous for its Scotch whisky distilleries and for Scottish beer. The soft drink Irn-Bru is so popular in Scotland that its makers say it's Scotland's "other" national drink, selling more than big international brands like Coca-Cola!

Philosophy: Deep Thinkers

Scotland has a strong history of important thinkers. In the medieval period, Duns Scotus was a leading scholar. During the Scottish Enlightenment, Edinburgh was home to brilliant minds like Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, and Adam Smith. Other cities, like Aberdeen, also produced great thinkers such as Thomas Reid.

Folklore: Halloween and More

Halloween, on October 31st, is a very popular holiday in Scotland. The name "Halloween" comes from "All-Hallows-Eve." Some historians believe it started from the Gaelic festival of Samhain. People believed that on this night, the line between our world and the spirit world became thin, and the dead might visit the living.

In the 1700s, the poet John Mayne wrote about Halloween pranks and ghosts. Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, wrote his famous poem Halloween in 1785, inspired by Mayne. In Scotland, traditional Halloween customs include Guising (children dressing up in costumes and asking for treats), carving faces into turnips to make lanterns, and parties with games like apple bobbing. When many Irish and Scottish people moved to North America in the 1800s, they helped make Halloween popular there.

Language and Religion: Scottish Identity

Scotland has its own unique family of languages and dialects, which helps create a strong sense of "Scottish-ness." These include the Scots language and Scottish Gaelic language. An organization called Iomairt Cholm Cille works to support Gaelic-speaking communities in both Scotland and Ireland and to build connections between them.

Different forms of Christianity have been the main religion in Scotland for over 1,400 years. Scotland has its own national church, which is separate from the Church of England. This is the Church of Scotland. There is also a large group of Roman Catholics in Scotland, making up about 16% of the population.

Scotland's patron saint is Saint Andrew, and Saint Andrew's Day is celebrated on November 30th. Other saints like Saint Margaret, Saint Columba, and Saint Ninian have also been very popular throughout history.

Interceltic Festivals: Celebrating Celtic Culture

Pipers at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient.

As one of the Celtic nations, Scotland takes part in interceltic events both at home and around the world. Scotland hosts two interceltic music festivals: Celtic Connections in Glasgow and the Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway. Both started in the mid-1990s.

Scottish culture is also celebrated at international music and culture festivals. Some of the most famous include the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany, France, the Pan Celtic Festival in Ireland, and the National Celtic Festival in Portarlington, Australia.

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