Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!
Scottish culture is the national culture of Scotland. Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish There are many recipes most of which have in common the following ingredients Sheep 's ' pluck ' ( Heart A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and Poetry of the poet Robert Burns, author of many Scots poems including " Auld Lang Syne," A nation is a Human Cultural and Social Community. In as much as most members never meet each other yet feel a common bond it may be considered Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It originates from various differences, some entrenched as part of the Treaty of Union 1707, others facets of nationhood not easily defined but readily identifiable. The Acts of Union were a pair of Parliamentary Acts passed during 1706 and 1707 by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland to put into
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Scots law
Scotland retains Scots Law, its own unique legal system, based on Roman law, which combines features of both civil law and common law. Scots law is a unique legal system with an ancient basis in Roman law. Scots law is a unique legal system with an ancient basis in Roman law. Roman law is the legal system of Ancient Rome. As used in the West the term commonly refers to legal developments prior to the Roman/Byzantine state's adopting Civil law or Romano-Germanic law or Continental law is the predominant system of law in the world. Common law refers to law and the corresponding legal system developed through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive The terms of union with England specified the retention of separate systems. The barristers being called advocates, and the judges of the high court for civil cases are also the judges for the high court for criminal cases. Scots Law differs from England's common law system. Formerly, there were several regional law systems in Scotland, one of which was Udal Law (also called allodail or odal law) in Shetland and Orkney. Udal law is a near-defunct Norse derived Legal system, which is found in Shetland and Orkney, Scotland and in Manx law This was a direct descendant of Old Norse Law, but was abolished in 1611 . Despite this, Scottish courts have acknowledged the supremacy of udal law in some property cases as recently as the 1990s. There is a movement to restore udal law[1] to the islands as part of a devolution of power from Edinburgh to Shetland and Orkney. Various systems based on common Celtic Law also survived in the Highlands until the 1800s.
Banking and currency
Banking in Scotland also features unique characteristics. The economy of Scotland is closely linked with the rest of the United Kingdom and the wider European Economic Area, it is essentially a Mixed economy Although the Bank of England remains the central bank for the UK Government, three Scottish corporate banks still issue their own banknotes: the Bank of Scotland, the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Clydesdale Bank. The Bank of England (formally the Governor and Company of the Bank of England) is a state-owned institution and the Central bank of the United Kingdom A banknote (often known as a bill, paper money or simply a note) is a kind of Negotiable instrument, a Promissory note made by a The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and Clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Royal Bank of Scotland plc ( Scottish Gaelic: Banca Rìoghail na h-Alba) is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group The Clydesdale Bank PLC is a Commercial bank in Scotland, a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank (NAB Group. These notes have no status as legal tender, (although they can be used throughout the UK, particularly in Northern Ireland, where Irish banks also issue their own banknotes) and they are also freely accepted in the Channel Islands. Legal tender or forced tender is Payment that by Law, cannot be refused in settlement of a Debt ( Debtor cannot successfully be sued The Channel Islands ( Norman: Îles d'la Manche, French: Îles Anglo-Normandes or Îles de la Manche) are a group of Islands In Scotland, neither they nor the Bank of England's notes rank as legal tender (as Scots law lacks the concept), however banknotes issued by any of the four banks meet with common acceptance. See British banknotes. Sterling banknotes are the Banknotes of the United Kingdom and British Islands, denominated in pounds sterling (symbol £
The modern system of branch banking (in which banks maintain a nationwide system of offices rather than one or two central offices) originated in Scotland. Only strong political pressure during the 19th century prevented the resultant strong banking system from taking over banking in England. However, although Scottish banks proved unwelcome in England at the time, their business model became widely copied, firstly in England and later in the rest of the world. A business model is a term used for a broad range of informal and formal descriptions that are used by enterprises to represent various aspects of its business including its purpose offerings This is not to say that the Scottish banking system was immune from crises - especially the collapse of the City of Glasgow Bank in 1878. The City of Glasgow Bank is now largely known for its spectacular collapse in October 1878 ruining all but 254 of its 1200 shareholders whose Liability was not limited
The Savings Bank movement was created in Scotland in 1810 by the Reverend Henry Duncan as a means of allowing his parishioners to save smaller amounts of money than the major banks would accept as deposits at that time. Henry Duncan (8 October 1774 &ndash 12 February 1846 was the minister of Ruthwell parish church in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, and founded the His model for the Ruthwell Parish Bank was adopted by well-to-do sponsors throughout the world. The American examples eventually became Savings and Loan Associations and most of the British savings banks amalgamating to form the Trustee Savings Bank, which recently merged with the commercial bank, Lloyds Bank, to form Lloyds TSB. A savings and loan association, also known as a thrift, is a Financial institution that specializes in accepting Savings deposits and making Mortgage The Trustee Savings Banks, or TSBs were British Financial institutions which specialized in accepting Savings deposits from the poor Lloyds Bank Plc was a British Commercial bank which operated in England and Wales (and to a much lesser extent Scotland) from 1833 until its Lloyds TSB Group plc () is a leading British Financial institution with its Group Head office in London and its registered office However the Airdrie Savings Bank maintained its position outside this process. Airdrie Savings Bank is a small commercial Bank operation in the Lanarkshire and Glasgow areas of Scotland.
Scotland also developed a number of powerful Life Assurance companies during the 19th and 20th centuries. Life insurance or life assurance is a contract between the policy owner and the insurer, where the insurer agrees to pay a sum of money upon the occurrence of the These were predominantly managed on the mutual model, offering with-profits investment as well as protection business. Mutual insurance is a type of Insurance where those protected by the insurance (policyholders also have certain "ownership" rights in the organization. A with-profits policy ( Commonwealth) or participating policy ( U Financial pressures since the 1980s have led to their demutualisations and most are now part of larger financial institutions.
See [2] for further information on the history of Scottish banking.
Sports
Scotland has many national sporting associations, such as the Scottish Football Association (SFA) or the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU). Sport plays a central role in Scottish culture. The Temperate, Oceanic climate has played a key part in the evolution of Sport in Scotland, with The Scottish Football Association (also known as the SFA and The Scottish FA or the "worst league in the world" is the governing body of This gives the country independent representation at many international sporting events such as the football World Cup. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football Scotland cannot compete in the Olympic Games independently however, and Scottish athletes must compete as part of the Great Britain team if they wish to take part. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games Scotland does however send its own team to compete in the Commonwealth Games. The Commonwealth Games is a multinational Multi-sport event. Held every four years it involves the elite athletes of the Commonwealth of Nations. Scotland also has its own sporting competitions distinct from the rest of the UK. The main football competitions and leagues are organised by the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. The Scottish Premier League, currently known as the Clydesdale Bank Premier League for sponsorship reasons and often known as the Premier League or SPL Founding members The Scottish League's first season of competition was in 1890-91. Teams in the Highland Football League, the East of Scotland Football League and the South of Scotland Football League also compete in the Scottish Cup, while those in the Scottish Junior Football Association are outwith that structure. The Highland Football League (HFL is a league of football clubs operating not in just the Scottish highlands as the name may suggest but also the north east The East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL is a league of football teams from south-east Scotland formed in 1923 The South of Scotland Football League is an amateur football competition based in the south of Scotland. The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, usually known as the Scottish Cup, is the national football cup competition of Scotland History Junior football as distinguished from senior football has existed since the early 1880s Scottish football clubs compete in international competitions, such as the UEFA Cup and the Champion's League. The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. The Scottish Rugby Union are responsible for that sport, whose main competition is the BT Premier League. Regional Scottish rugby clubs also compete in the Celtic League, along with teams from Ireland and Wales and in the Heineken Cup, the European League for Rugby Union. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The European Rugby Cup (known as the Heineken Cup because of the tournament's sponsorship by Heineken) is an annual Rugby union competition involving leading Scotland is considered the "Home of Golf", and is well known for its courses. As well as its world famous Highland Games (athletic competitions), it is also the home of curling, and shinty, a stick game similar to Ireland's hurling. Highland games are events held throughout the year in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage especially Curling is a team Sport with similarities to Bowls and Shuffle board, played by two teams of four players each on a rectangular sheet of carefully prepared Shinty (derived from the Scottish Gaelic sinteag although it is referred to as camanachd or iomain in modern Gaelic is a Team sport Hurling (in Irish, iománaíocht or iomáint) is an outdoor team Sport of ancient Gaelic origin administered by the Gaelic Scottish cricket is a minority game . Cricket has a lower profile in Scotland than it has south of the border in England.
Media
Scotland has distinct media from the rest of the UK. Scottish media has a long and distinct history Scotland has a wide range of different types and quality of media. For example, it produces many national newspapers such as the Daily Record (Scotland's leading tabloid), the broadsheet The Herald, based in Glasgow, and The Scotsman in Edinburgh Sunday newspapers include the tabloid Sunday Mail (published by Daily Record parent company Trinity Mirror and the Sunday Post, while the Sunday Herald and Scotland on Sunday have associations with The Herald and The Scotsman respectively. The Daily Record is a Scottish Tabloid newspaper, based in Glasgow. A tabloid is a Newspaper industry term which refers to a smaller newspaper format per spread to a weekly or semi-weekly alternative newspaper that focuses on local-interest Broadsheet is the largest of the various Newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages (typically 22 inches or more The Herald is a national Broadsheet newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom The Scotsman is a Scottish national Newspaper, published in Edinburgh. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. The Sunday Mail is a Scottish Tabloid Newspaper published every Sunday The Sunday Post is a weekly Newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland by DC Thomson, and characterised by a 'folksy' mix of news The Sunday Herald is an award winning Scottish Sunday Newspaper launched on 7 February 1999 Scotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday Newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming
Regional dailies include The Courier and Advertiser in Dundee and the east, and The Press and Journal serving Aberdeen and the north. The Courier & Advertiser, more commonly known as simply The Courier, is a Broadsheet Newspaper published by DC Thomson in Dundee (Dùn Dèagh is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and fully named as Dundee City, one of Scotland's 32 local government council The Press and Journal, often called the P&J, is a daily regional Newspaper serving the northern areas of Scotland including the cities Aberdeen ( pronounced; Aiberdeen Obar Dheathain is Scotland 's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council
Scotland has its own BBC services which include the national radio stations, BBC Radio Scotland and Scottish Gaelic language service, BBC Radio nan Gaidheal. There are also a number of BBC and independent local radio stations throughout the country. In addition to radio, BBC Scotland also runs two national television stations. Viewers in Scotland receive four or five public terrestrial television stations. Much of the output of BBC Scotland Television, such as news and current affairs programmes, and the Glasgow-based soap opera, River City, are intended for broadcast within Scotland, whilst others, such as drama and comedy programmes, aim at audiences throughout the UK and further afield. River City is a Scottish Drama which first broadcast on 24 September 2002. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located
Two Independent Television stations, STV and Border, also broadcast in Scotland. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent STV is the brand used by both ITV licensees in Northern and Central Scotland formerly known as Grampian TV (now legally STV North Ltd Border Television (now legally known as ITV Border is the ITV franchisee for the border region between England and Scotland (including the south of Scotland much of Cumbria Most of the independent television output equates to that transmitted in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with the exception of news and current affairs, sport, comedy, cultural and Scottish Gaelic language programming.
Tele-G is the only Gaelic language, broadcasting UK wide on the Freeview platform every night between 6pm and 7pm on Channel 8. TeleG was established as the first daily digital Gaelic TV channel in Scotland on 31 October 1999. The Goidelic languages, (also sometimes called particularly in colloquial situations the Gaelic languages or collectively Gaelic) historically formed a Dialect Freeview is an operator of free Digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom, using the DVB-T standard
The Gaelic Digital Service is due to begin broadcasting in Summer 2008 after being given the go-ahead by the BBC
Food and drink
Although the Deep fried Mars bar is jokingly said to exemplify the modern Scottish diet, Scottish cuisine offers such traditional dishes as haggis, Buccleuch Scotch beef, the Arbroath Smokie, salmon, venison, cranachan, bannock, Scotch Broth and shortbread. Scottish cuisine is the specific set of cooking traditions and practices associated with Scotland. A deep-fried Mars Bar is an ordinary Mars Bar normally fried in a type of batter commonly used for deep frying fish sausages and other battered products although Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish There are many recipes most of which have in common the following ingredients Sheep 's ' pluck ' ( Heart Buccleuch Beef is a Beef reared on the estates of the Duke of Buccleuch and other Buccleuch Farmers in Scotland. Arbroath Smokies are a type of lightly smoked small Haddock &ndash a speciality of the town of Arbroath in Angus, Scotland. Salmon is the common name for several species of Fish of the family Salmonidae. Venison is the Culinary name for Meat from the family Cervidae. Cranachan is a traditional Scottish Dessert. Nowadays it is usually made from a mixture of Whipped cream, Whisky, Honey, and fresh raspberries Bannock is a flat Quickbread, baked on a griddle and the same thickness as a scone. Scotch Broth is a filling Soup, originating in Scotland but now obtainable world wide Shortbread is a type of Biscuit ( Cookie) which is traditionally made from one part white sugar, two parts Butter, and three parts oatmeal
Scotland is also known for its Scotch whisky and its distilleries, as well as for Scottish beer. Scotch whisky is Whisky made in Scotland. In Britain the term whisky is usually taken to mean Scotch unless otherwise specified
Philosophy
Scotland has an extremely strong tradition in philosophy (especially for such a small country). Duns Scotus was one of the premier Medieval scholastics. Scholasticism was the dominant form of theology and philosophy in the Latin West in the Middle Ages, particularly in the 12th 13th and 14th centuries In the Scottish Enlightenment Edinburgh became the home for an astonishing amount of intellectual talent, including Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, and Adam Smith. The Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments Francis Hutcheson ( August 8, 1694 August 8, 1746) was a Philosopher born in Ireland to a family of Scottish David Hume (26 April 1711 25 August 1776 Scottish Philosopher, Economist, and Historian is an important figure in Western philosophy Adam Smith ( baptised 16 June 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of Political economy. However other cities also produced major thinkers at this time: Aberdeen for example, produced Thomas Reid. Aberdeen ( pronounced; Aiberdeen Obar Dheathain is Scotland 's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council Thomas Reid ( April 26, 1710 – October 7, 1796) Scottish Philosopher, and a contemporary of David Hume, was While the Scottish contribution in the 19th and 20th centuries has not been quite so impressive, there has been a steady stream of major philosophers, historians and thinkers.
Other facts of Scottish culture
- See also Category:Scottish culture
Scotland retains its own distinct sense of nationhood. Academic research consistently shows that people in Scotland feel Scottish, whilst not necessarily feeling the need to see that translated into the establishment of a fully-independent Scottish nation-state.
Scotland also has its own unique family of languages and dialects, helping to foster a strong sense of "Scottish-ness". See Scots language and Scottish Gaelic language. Scots ( The Scots leid) refers to Anglic varieties derived from early northern Middle English spoken in parts of Scotland and Northern Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. An organisation called Iomairt Cholm Cille has been set up to support Gaelic-speaking communities in both Scotland and Ireland and to promote links between them.
Scotland retains its own national church, separate from that of England. See Church of Scotland and Religion in the United Kingdom. The Church of Scotland (Eaglais na h-Alba known informally by its Scots language name The Kirk, is the National church of Scotland. This article is about the development of religion in the United Kingdom (UK since its formation in 1707
The patron saints of Scotland are Saint (Queen) Margaret and Saint Andrew, and Saint Andrew's Day is celebrated in the country on 30 November. The patron saint of a particular group of people is a Saint who would protect and 'love' the group and its members Saint Margaret (c 1045 – 16 November 1093 was the sister of Edgar Ætheling, the short-ruling and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats
These factors combine together to form a strong, readily identifiable Scottish civic culture.
References
See also
- Scottish Gaelic language
- Scottish cringe
- Scottish folklore
- Scottish literature
- Scottish music
- Scottish national identity
- Tartanry
External links
- Scotland Cultural Profile - Scottish national cultural portal created with funding from the Scottish Executive
- Scottish legal tender
- Iomairt Cholm Cille
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