National Tartan Day

National Tartan Day History

National Tartan Day is a celebration of Scottish heritage which also marks the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath. The Declaration of Arbroath is a declaration of Scottish Independence, signed in 1320. The declaration is in the form of a letter addressed to Pope John XXII and declared Scotland as an independent and sovereign state. The declaration was written at the Arbroath Abbey by Bernard of Kilwinning, Chancellor of Scotland and Abbot of Arbroath.

National Tartan Day originated in New York City when the mayor, Ed Koch, declared July 1, 1982, as Tartan day. It was a one-time celebration of the 200th anniversary of repealing the Act of Proscription (August 12, 1747), which had forbidden Scots to wear tartan. Then in 2004, the National Capital Tartan Day Committee lobbied US House Representatives to designate April 6 as National Tartan Day, a day which was adopted on March 9, 2005.

Top 8 Facts for National Tartan Day in 2026

• The award-winning actor and entrepreneur Sam Heughan, known for his lead role in the television series Outlander, is set to serve as the Grand Marshal for the 2026 New York City Tartan Day Parade, returning to the role exactly one decade after his first appearance.
• The Declaration of Arbroath, a 1320 document asserting Scottish sovereignty, is widely regarded by historians as a primary philosophical influence for the American Declaration of Independence due to its early articulation of the right of people to choose their own ruler.
• For nearly four decades following the Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Culloden, the wearing of any form of tartan was strictly prohibited for Highland men under the Dress Act 1746, which was part of a larger government effort known as the Act of Proscription intended to dismantle traditional clan systems.
• One of the oldest surviving specimens of the fabric is the Falkirk Tartan, a fragment of checkered wool dating back to approximately 250 AD that was discovered inside a Roman coin jar.
• In Canada, which has a significant Scottish Diaspora, the Maple Leaf tartan was officially designated as a national symbol in 2011 to reflect the changing colors of the leaf through the seasons.
• Modern celebrations often feature the skirl of bagpipes and the display of specific family patterns, a practice popularized during the 19th-century Highland Revival when many clans formally registered their unique weaves for the first time.
• The discovery of the Cherchen Man, a 3,000-year-old mummy found in the Taklamakan Desert of China, revealed that tartan-like twill patterns were used in ancient textiles long before they became the quintessential symbol of Scottish identity.
• A recurring highlight of the festivities is the Kirkin' o' the Tartan, a traditional ceremony where participants bring swatches of their family cloth to be blessed, a practice said to have originated as a secret act of defiance during the years of the tartan ban.

In the News and Trending in the US for National Tartan Day

Top things to do in the US for National Tartan Day

• Create a tartan that is unique to your family clan.
• Learn Highland dancing which originated in the Scottish Highlands.
• Attend a Tartan Day parade. One of the largest Tartan Day parades is held in New York City.
• Eat traditional Scottish foods including Haggis, Scottish porridge, Scotch broth, and shortbread cookies.
• Play golf. Golf originated in Scotland during the 15th century.