If you are heading off to a Burn’s Night Ceilidh soon to dance the night away and forget the January cold weather with a wee dram of whisky, nibbles and cheerful company, your host might have mentioned about you perhaps wearing a tartan. Fear not! There are lots of tartans and your surname doesn’t have to begin with Mc or Mac for you to be able to turn up looking wonderfully Scottish and ready to dance the night away!
Take my surname, for example. It’s Watson and almost as common as the legendary Smith! Yet a small amount of research on the web reveals that it is a Scottish name as well as an English and there is a Watson clan tartan resplendent in beautiful shades of green and brown checks ready to adorn my body as I trip around the ceilidh dance floor (see above).
Reassuringly, wearing tartan doesn’t always mean a kilt. A nice Tam o’ shanter (tammie) cap or a sash goes a long way to setting the scene. Speaking personally, a nice tartan waistcoat and a tammie will do me nicely.
Of course, as a member of the Barnbuskers Ceilidh band, my personal Watson tartan is less of a question than the Barnbuskers band tartan and the tartan cloth I and the band wear for Burns Nights can be seen in the photo above. Admittedly, it’s not quite as authentic as buying from Scottish firms who’s history goes back hundreds of years, but our home made dress-making frugality is perhaps in the Scottish tradition. At the end of the day, we are but impecunious musicians seeking to bring a bit of joy into the Burns Night ceilidh dancing world!
So, if you’re thinking of celebrating Burns Night at your local pub with a ceilidh, whisky and nibbles, and you’re worried about not looking the part, your Scottish identity might just be an internet search away. If you live in Somerset UK and can get to the Wyndham Arms, Kingsbury Episcopi near Martock, Barnbuskers Ceilidh Band will be there on Saturday, January 25, 2025 for a splendid Burns Night Ceilidh 7pm – 12pm. Tickets (free entry) are available from Eventbrite or at the door. Perhaps we’ll see you there and, of course, you’ll be welcome with or without wearing your tartan.
Barnbuskers 