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Culture

Scottish Culture

"We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilization."
~ Voltaire

Some elements of Scottish culture are readily identifiable to outsiders. For example, a person of Scottish heritage can communicate his national pride simply by donning a tartan kilt. And the overpowering blare of a Great Highland Bagpipe can transport any listener to some distant Highland moor (if it doesn't send her running for the hills!). And then there's the infamous haggis - even if you aren't certain what it is exactly (is it some sort of cuisine? a fuzzy little goat-like critter? a sport?), you've surely heard of it. But other important aspects of Scottish culture, such as the Gaelic language, almost faded away in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Only after teetering on the verge of extinction has Gaelic enjoyed a modern revival in recent decades. Culture is the vestige of history: there's a long story behind everything from curling to poetry.

None of the stories that you'll find on these pages, however, are comprehensive. That's because a comprehensive examination of any aspect of Scottish culture can only be given by the cumulative national pride of the Scottish people all around the world.

The opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the author and
do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada.
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