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The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution Scots Glory in Heritage on Tartan Day MONI BASU; Staff A man in a kilt is a man and a half. By that Scottish definition, Douglas Fraser is quite a man. Not only does he don a kilt, but to hear him tell it, he also comes from one of the finest clans around. "The Frasers have the handsomest men and the prettiest women," says Fraser, a Decatur resident. That claim could easily start a clan war around these parts, where fiercely proud Scots will gather this weekend in their finest family tartan to celebrate their heritage. In 1998, Congress officially proclaimed April 6 as Tartan Day to recognize Scottish immigrants' contributions in North America. The day is the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, a Scottish independence document signed in 1320. Tartan Day is another sign of growing interest in Scottish heritage, says Kate Graham, former president of the local St. Andrews Society and owner of Caledonian Travel, which specializes in heritage tours of Scotland. Graham organizes one or two such tours every year. The tours began with 10 people in 1985; more than 120 are going this year. Fraser and his wife, Lea, went on a clan tour several years ago. "You don't marry a Scotsman and not become interested in the heritage," says Lea Fraser. Her husband said he became interested in his lineage at the Stone Mountain Highland Games in 1971. The annual Scottish festival was lacking a tent for the Frasers. That prompted Fraser to start up a clan Fraser society in America. "The more [Scottish heritage] is publicized, the more people will become aware," Fraser says. "You know, the Irish are much more vocal. The Scots, well, we are much more reserved and quiet." That may be the reason St. Patrick's Day is a bigger event than, say, St. Andrew's Day, named after the patron saint of Scotland. And it may be why Graham can keep busy taking people back to the old country. Graham couldn't say for sure how many clans are in Scotland. Grahams, Frasers, Hays, Abercrombies, Bruces, Galbraiths, Macdonalds, Wallaces . . . But she notes there are 2,800 family tartans. Many will be on display at the home of British Consul General Michael Bates, this year's host of the invitation-only Tartan Day party. Scottish celebrations usually mean bagpipes and Robert Burns poetry for entertainment. You'll also usually find haggis, a traditional dish of beef suet, oatmeal, onions and herbs, on the table. But this year's dinner likely will lean toward roast beef or salmon, Graham says. There will be no mistaking the ancestry of the guests at the soiree, though. Men in tartan kilts. Women in tartan skirts. The celebration originally was planned for Saturday, but the death of Britain's Queen Mother Elizabeth might put the party on hold. Elizabeth spent most of her summers growing up in Scotland and was known for her love of Scotland. Tartan, says the official Tartan Day Web site, "has long been the most recognizable cultural tradition" of people in the Highlands, a geographical and cultural region. Tartan cloth existed as early as the time of the Romans in the third century B.C. But it was the 19th-century nobility of England and Scotland, not the Highlanders, who developed the Highland dress as it is known today. Queen Victoria was a big promoter of Scotland. "She loved the Scottish army, and they wore kilts," Graham says. From haggis to heather, Graham makes it her business to know all things Scottish. News of her heritage tours have spread across the continent mostly by word of mouth. This year, she has been busy preparing for a 10-day clan Keith tour in July. "Their ancestral homeland is in Aberdeen," she says. "That's where their clan chief is. We are going to spend six days there. We'll visit various castles associated with the Keiths." So far, 67 clan Keith members from the United States and Canada have signed up for Graham's tour. Oh, and they'll be taking their own 62-member pipe band along. Lea Fraser says Graham's tours are insightful. Graham was born in Stirling, Scotland, but has lived in the American South for 17 years. Her accent is a dead giveaway. You might even call it a Celtic drawl. With tourism being one of the largest industries in Scotland, Graham says she is happy to contribute to her native land. "I know Scotland better than anywhere else," she says. "I feel like I'm giving something back to my country. That gives me a lot of personal gratification." ON
THE WEB: FACTS
ABOUT SCOTLAND Scottish people are Scots. Things from Scotland are Scottish, not Scotch, which refers only to the whisky. The national dish of Scotland is haggis, neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes). English is the predominant language of Scotland, but Scots-Gaelic is still spoken in the Highlands and islands. In the 17th and 18th centuries, most Scottish immigrants settled in the Southern and Middle Atlantic region of America. Scotland's capital is Edinburgh. The largest city is Glasgow. Alexander Graham Bell, investor of the telephone, was born in Edinburgh. So was Tony Blair, current prime minister of Britain. The Scots brought Presbyterianism to America. The church has 2.5 million members in the United States. Photo: Take your pick: Tartan neckties with clan ties include, from bottom: Gordon (green/blue), Thomson (royal blue/light blue) and MacLeod (yellow/black); and a St. Andrews golf tee bag made of a hunting tartan (red). Look for them at Taste of Britain in Norcross. / BITA HONARVAR / Staff Photo: Kate Graham of Lilburn, showing off a Graham tartan, leads Scottish heritage tours. / BITA HONARVAR / Staff Graphic: Copyright 2002 The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution
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