Celebrating a heritage

Today as I came in to my office I was wearing something a little bit unusual.  My normal office attire was supplemented by my Scottish tartan 'plaid' over the left shoulder, pinned in place by a brooch, showing the crest of the Gunn clan of which the Mann family is a sept (allied).

 

Photo from "Sportkilt.com"

A great source of kilts and accessories!

 

A 'plaid', by the way, is not what we today would think of when we say something like 'a plaid shirt', a criss-cross pattern of colored lines.  'Plaid' is the word used in Scorland for 'blanket'.  It is usually done in the clan tartan, but does not have to be.  In olden days it was literally a blanket matching the kilt and thrown over the left shoulder; in VERY olden days it was attached portion of the kilt which was left over when the kilt was put on.  Modern versions are smaller and more symbolic than practical.

Why did I choose to do this today?  Today is January 25, the birthday of the national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns.  Traditionally those of Scottish lineage would celebrate the day by a special dinner in the evening, and oftentimes would wear their kilt or other Scottish attire during the day.  My plaid and brooch are my nod to my Scottish roots.

This nod to my roots is something which we as Christians should take to heart.  There are many days we could celebrate as Christians and in a Christian manner.  There is obviously Chrismas, and Easter.  Thanksgiving, along with some lesser known days such as Reformation Sunday, Pentecost Sunday and Ash Wednesday. 

Perhaps, even more so today, we should focus on celebrating our Christian faith and our history on the ordinary days.  This last Christmas my wife gave me a ring for my right hand which  features a prominent cross on a shield.  That ring sets me apart, reminds me of my heritage and inspires questions from people around me.

What heritage are you celebrating?  Do you celebrate Jesus Christ as your Saviour every day, or just on special days?

"This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance."  Exodus 12:14 (NIV)

.

I Kilt myself!

It’s interesting the reaction that you get doing some things. My family has always celebrated its heritage in one way or another. In general we are old-family Yankee.When growing up my mother’s relatives always called the porch a ‘piazza’ and we always took our pasta seriously in deference to my Mom’s Italian roots. My grandmother spoke fluent French-Canadian. And my father gave special attention to his experiences among the Native American friends on his father’s side as well as his Scottish roots.


A couple years ago I put together a kilt (not my own Clan Gunn tartan, but Black Watch tartan) and have worn it around the house and in the yard. Once or twice I’ve worn it out on an errand, but it’s not that great a sewing job, so I don’t do it very much. Generally I’ve gotten some good comments on it. I find that there is somewhat of a controversy about kilts though, especially where Christians are concerned. There is this verse in the Bible (actually in more than one place) that talks about men not wearing women’s clothes, and vice-versa. Deuteronomy 22:5 says, "A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this".



The question becomes, especially in today’s society, what is appropriate clothing for men and what is inappropriate? The first thing I point out is that Kilts are first and foremost men’s clothing. The specific style and construction have always been worn by men in Scottish culture…in all Celtic cultures, really. If a woman was to wear a Kilt, she would be wearing a male style of clothing. The cut and construction are tailored to men; that has never stopped women, but they are generally given more leeway than men in such things.


Secondly, there are very few real ‘unisex’ garments. Most are cut to accommodate a woman’s anatomy OR a man’s anatomy. Therefore a man would be very uncomfortable in a woman’s pantsuit, while a woman would have extra material and an uncomfortable fit in a man’s pair of pants…either would not be flattered by the fit. This is also why it becomes very hard to pin down a particular garment class as being either male or female…are pants in general male or female? Is a shirt in general male or female? Garments this gender specific in our culture might be limited to such things as underwear, intimate garments or panty hose. In another culture it might be a little more clear cut.



Thirdly, scripturally I think the injunction is pretty clear. Don’t wear things that culturally indicate that you are gender-bending.


It has helped my case to note that in the past few years there has been a resurgence in prominent kilt-wearers such as Sir Sean Connery, TV shows like 'The Highlander' and films such as Braveheart starring Mel Gibson, as historically inaccurate as that film is. Anyone care to tell Sean Connery that he's a sissy? I'd like to be a fly on the wall when you do!



When all is said and done, if the Kilt is worn in context there is nothing wrong with it from a scriptural standpoint. But, in the words of Peter, "be prepared to give a ready defense..." and in keeping with scripture, avoid knowingly offending our weaker brothers (and sisters).