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Celebrating everything Scottish

Proclamations, pipers, dancers and other entertainment set for Campbell River's first Tartan Day
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Clockwise from left) Ron Kerr

Campbell River will hold its first annual Tartan Day on Wednesday noon-2 p.m. at Spirit Square.

Canadians of Scottish descent have made enduring contributions to our Nation with their hard work, faith, and values and National Tartan Day is an opportunity to celebrate the spirit and character of Scottish Canadians and recognize their many contributions to our culture and our way of life.

“It’s an opportunity to honour our Scottish ancestors,” said Ron Kerr, organizer of Campbell River’s first Tartan Day. “Genealogy research has given me a greater respect for the challenges they had to go through to come to Canada and start a new life.”

The Scottish immigrant has been well represented in politics, science, culture and sports and National Tartan Day is an opportunity to celebrate all Canadians who claim Scottish ancestry. On March 9, 1986, a Tartan Day to promote Scottish heritage in Canada, was proposed at a meeting of the Federation of Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia.

April 6, 1320 is the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath, establishing the historical independence of Scotland and the rights of the Scottish people to choose their own sovereign, was signed. Three million Australians are either Scottish or of Scottish descent. International Tartan Day is celebrated in Australia and New Zealand.

In the United States it is estimated that there are six million people who claim Scottish descent and national Tartan Day is celebrated annually on April 6.

In Scotland, Angus Council, whose region includes Arbroath, established the first Tartan Day festival in Scotland on April 6, 2004. Argentina claims around 100,000 people of Scottish descent who have their own Tartan day celebrations.

Campbell River is named after Dr. Samuel Campbell, assistant surgeon on the HMS Plumper, a British survey ship that surveyed Johnstone Strait and this part of the B.C. coastline in the 1850s and 1860s.

On Wednesday at Spirit Square there will be the reading of an official proclamation, pipers, dancers and other entertainment as well as activities for all ages. Participants are urged to were a kilt or tartan.

Links:

Campbell River tartan Day blog:  http://campbellrivertartanday.wordpress.com/

www.scotland.org/culture/festivals/scotland-week/scotland-week-events-2011/scotland-week-in-canada-2011/

www.rampantscotland.com/features/tartanday.htm

http://ucsac.blogspot.com/2010/10/april-6-2011-first-national-tartan-day.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartan_Day#Canada

www.harbourliving.ca/event/tartan-day-victoria62

www.tartandayscotland.com/tartan-day/tartan-day.asp