At the time of the Scottish Reformation of the
16th century the Scottish people expressed their family
heritage by the wearing of a specific plaid cloth known
as a clan tartan. As time went on the freedoms
of the Reformation were eroded. From
1746 to 1782 the wearing of tartan or any plaid or
striped clothes was against the law; bagpipes were
banned; and kilts were forbidden because the controlling
British authorities believed they promoted too much
of a sense of identity for the Scottish people and
the Scottish Church. According to legend
clan members often kept a small piece of their clan's
tartan hidden under their clothing and would bring
it secretly to the kirk (church) so that it could be
blessed and prayed over. That piece of tartan symbolized
the family and the community; and having it blessed
and prayed over, was, in effect, praying for the family
and the community.
Dr. Peter Marshall, chaplain of the United States
senate and an immigrant from Scotland, held the first
Kirkin' o' the Tartans service on April 27, 1941, at
the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington,
DC, where he was the pastor. This was to remind
Presbyterians of their heritage and possibly also to
raise funds for British war relief. Since then
this service has evolved in the United States, Canada,
and Australia to include bagpipes, drums, and often
a parade of tartan flags, especially in Presbyterian
churches. It has also been held in other Protestant
and Roman Catholic Churches.
Kirkin' comes from the word kirk which means church. Therefore,
a Kirkin' o' the Tartans service is a "churching" or
a blessing of those things Scottish, particularly the
tartans or plaids that represent individuals, families,
or clans. Beyond that, however, a Kirkin' o'
the Tartans service asks God's blessing upon the Presbyterian
church and is a rededication to the Reformed heritage
and historical faith of the Church in God.
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