Scottish Culture
Food and Drink
It is not documented when whisky first started to be
produced in Scotland and it's first mention is in 1494
Whisky
when it was already a well-established practice. The
Gaelic 'usquebaugh', meaning 'water of life' was
pronounced 'usky' which then became 'whisky' in
English. Whisky is produced all over Scotland and our
local distillery is just 3 miles from here at Glengoyne
Distillery. The distillery recently featured in a
successful Scottish film based on whisky -The Angels'
Share.
No one really knows just where Haggis originated,
Haggis
but it is generally attributed
to Scotland. It is in fact
considered the national dish of Scotland. This is
mainly attributed to Robert Burns’ poem Address
to a Haggis written in 1787.
Haggis is traditionally eaten with neeps and tatties
which is mashed potatoes and turnip.
Tablet
Tablet is a Scottish sweet. It is first noted in
the early 18th century and is made from sugar,
condensed milk and vanilla.
It is often served with coffee.
Porridge is made from oats
Porridgewhich make up a
large part of traditional Scottish food. This is
mainly because oats were a reliable crop in
many areas. Porridge is simply slowly boiled
oatmeal. It is often eaten for breakfast is known
for it's filling effect. Many people eat it with fruit
or syrup.
Shortbread is a traditional Scottish biscuit. It's was
Shortbread
originally made from leftover bread which was then
dried out to make shortbread. However, butter was
gradually added to it until it became what is not
known as shortbread. Shortbread is made of flour,
sugar and considerable amounts of butter.
Language
The original language of Scotland was Gaelic.
Gaelic is still spoken in some parts of Scotland,
mainly in isolated parts of the highlands and the
islands. However, the majority of Scots do not
speak Gaelic. Nowadays, English is spoken in
Scotland with some Scottish slang words
commonly used.
Aye – Yes
Wee – Little
Lass/ Lassie - Girl or Woman
Ken – Know
Auch aye – Oh yes
Eejit – Idiot
Scottish Dancing
Ceilidh Dancing
Ceilidh dancing is a form of social dancing which
involves one couple or many couples.
Some popular ceilidh dances include:
The Gay Gordons,
The Military Two-Step,
The Flying Scotsman,
and Strip the Willow.
Highland Dancing
Highland Dancing is a more competitive solo
dance. It is often performed at Highland Games
and is accompanied by the bagpipes.
Religion
Religion has greatly shaped the culture and
history of Scotland. However, today it is a less
dominant and influential part of society.
Christianity is the largest religion in Scotland
and as of the last census 65% of Scotland was
Christian.
Scottish Art
Scotland has a large art culture. It ranges from
fine art to street art.
The Glasgow School of Art
The Glasgow school of art is one the most famous
places in Glasgow.
It was built from 1897 to 1909 and was designed
by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a Scottish artist.
It is situated in the city
centre of Glasgow and
attracts many tourists.
At GSA students can study: fine art, design or
architecture. You can study up to doctorial level.
There are also Saturday classes, which include:
drawing and painting, Black and white
photography and sculpture.
Charles Rennie
Mackintosh
Mackintosh was born on the 7th of June 1868
He was a Glaswegian architect
He designed many buildings in Glasgow
including:
The Glasgow Herald Building
Hill House, Helensbough
Scotland Street School
The Kelvingrove Museum
The Kelvingrove museum was built in 1888
It first opened its doors to the public on 2nd June
1901.
It hosts various types of artwork; from natural
history to fine art.
Collections include:
Rembrandt, Monet
and Van Gogh.
Questions
1.When was the Glasgow school of art built?
2.Who was it designed by?
3.Where is it situated?
4.What level can you study up to?
5.What Saturday classes can you take?
6.When was Charles Rennie Mackintosh born?
7.What type of artist was he?
8.Name three buildings he designed.
9.When did the Kelvingrove Museum open its
doors?
10.Name three famous artists whose work hangs
in the museum.
Scottish Literature
Robert Burns
He was born on the 25th January
1759. His parents made sure that
he got a relatively good education
Alexander Pope, Henry Mackenzie
and Laurence Sterne's works were
a great inspiration. He was
particularly interested in
relationships with the opposite sex
He was the father of twins, and his
wife was Jean Armour, however the
relationship wasn't going too well
He nearly ended up emigrating to the West Indies
with his lover Mary Campbell. However Mary's
sudden death and the sensational success of his
first published collection of verse kept him in
Scotland. At the age of 27 he had already become
famous thanks to poems like “To
a Louse”, “To a Mouse” and
“The Cotter's Saturday Night”.
Handsome Nell, for Nellie
Kilpatrick, was his first song
Robert Burns died on the 21st
July 1796 aged just 37 and his
funeral took place on the very
day his son Maxwell was born.
Burns' Works
Burns wrote hundreds of songs and poems
His style is very unique and so it still continues to
influence Scottish literature. Burns liked to travel and
he collected many songs and tales and adapted
them to fit his style. He is well known for his thoughtprovoking and romantic works as
well as his humorous works
“Auld Lang Syne”
Across the globe on New Year’s Eve people join
hands and sing “Auld Lang Syne” at midnight
The poem is an encouragement to put the previous
year behind us and look forward to the new year
ahead. This is the chorus:
“For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne.”
Tam O'Shanter
This poem tells the tale of a man
who stayed too long in a pub and
witnessed disturbing visions on his way home.
It is perhaps one of Burns' most famous works
and it is a good example sense of humour.
This is a description of one of the visions the man
witnessed:
“Warlocks and witches in a dance:
Nae cotillon, brent new frae France,
But hornpipes, jigs, strathspeys, and reels,
Put life and mettle in their heels.”
Sir Walter Scott
Born on 15th August 1771 in Edinburgh
and died on 21st September 1832.
Waverley Novels was a series of his
novels in which he included and popularised many
of his historical novels. Scott arranged the plots and
characters so the reader enters into the lives of both
great and ordinary people Scott’s works greatly
reflect the influence of the 18th century
enlightenment. His views explain why tolerance is a
major theme in his historical works.
Another one of his beliefs was:
the need for social progress
that does not reject the
traditions of the past.
He was the first novelist to
portray peasant characters
sympathetically and
realistically, and was equally
just to merchants, soldiers,
and even kings.
Many of Scott’s novels are
based around the idea of a
conflict between opposing
cultures, e.g. The Talisman,
Ivanhoe
His novels about Scottish history
effectively show clashes between
the new English culture and the old
Scottish.
Scott's other great novels include
“Old Mortality” (1816), “The Heart of
Midlothian” (1819), and “St. Ronan's Well” (1824).
His Waverley series includes “Rob Roy” (1817), “A
Legend of Montrose” (1819), and “Quentin Dunward”
(1823). Scott’s amiability, generosity, and modesty
made him popular with his contemporaries. He was
also famous for entertaining on a grand scale at his
Scottish estate, Abbotsford.
MUSIC OF SCOTLAND
Bagpipes
The use of the bagpipe was
spread by Highland regiments of
the British Army.
They are used either by a solo
piper or as part of a pipe band.
Well known bagpipe tunes include:
Amazing grace
Scotland the Brave
Highland Cathedral
Ceilidh
A traditional Gaelic social gathering, may have
included poems, songs and stories.
Now includes mainly dancing to lively Scottish
music.
Ceilidh’s are still social gatherings, attract all ages
and are used as celebrations.
This instrument has been played in Scotland
Accordion
since the 19th century.
Piano Accordion
There are two main types of accordion, the piano
accordion and the button accordion.
Both fulfil the same purpose and usually carry the
tune in the band as they are easy to follow.
Fiddle
The fiddle is the same instrument
as the violin but instead of classical
pieces is used to play traditional
Scottish, or folk music.
The fiddle can be played in different styles, as
shown in different areas of Scotland:
Shetland - Lively, Norwegian influenced style
Borders – Music influenced by hornpipes
Pop and rock music started to become popular in
Modern Scottish Music
the 1950’s and ‘60’s.
One of the most famous Scottish bands is the
Proclaimers, with their song “500 miles”.
The Edinburgh Festival
Established
A History
in 1947 by
Orchestre des Champs-Élysées
Rudolf Bing, general
manager of the Glyndbourg Opera and Henry
Harvey Wood head of the British Council in Scotland
They wanted a festival which, in the wake of the
Second World war would enliven and enrich the
cultural life of Scotland, Britain and Europe.
And if it was successfully, the festival would also
become a major source of Tourism revenue for
Scotland. These founding principles are as relevant
today as in 1947
Today….
Ranked as one of the most important cultural
events in the world.
Programme decided by festival director
(currently Jonathan Mills) who invites
performers. Range of genres – classical music,
opera, dance, theatre…. All at the highest
standard.
Performers come from all over the world
A History
Started at around the same time as the EIF.
It began when several theatre companies turned
up in Edinburgh to take advantage of the crowds
who were there for the first international festival.
Anyone can perform, not invited like the EIF
Today……
It is the largest festival of
its kind in the world.
In the 2012 Fringe there
were 2695 shows –
including some that are
truly bizarre!
Wide range of genres.
Street performance.
Free shows.
A Street Performance
Gary McNair’s “Crunch”
First took place in 1950
More than 12 million
have attended the Tattoo.
Generates about £7.6
million in box office sales.
Takes place in August.
Performers from many
different countries take
part.
Impact…
Massive economic impact.
Tourism benefits.
Significant contributions to national identity
generated over a quarter of a billion pounds worth
of extra tourism revenue for Scotland in 2010.
85% of all respondents agree that the Festivals
promote a confident, positive Scottish national
identity.