Culture of Scotland
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Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!
The culture of Scotland refers to the idiosyncratic cultural norms of Scotland and the Scottish people. Some elements of Scottish culture, such as its separate national church, are protected in law through the Act of Union 1707 and other instruments.
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[edit] 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. The terms of union with England specified the retention of separate systems. The barristers 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. 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.
[edit] Banking and currency
Banking in Scotland also features unique characteristics. 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. These notes have no status as legal tender, (although they can be used)
[edit] Sports
Scotland has many national sporting associations, such as the Scottish Football Association (SFA) or the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU). This gives the country independent representation at many international sporting events such as the football World Cup. 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. Scotland does however send its own team to compete in the Commonwealth Games. 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. 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. Scottish football clubs compete in international competitions, such as the UEFA Cup and the Champions League. Scotland also is home to WBO champion Alex Arthur 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. 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. Scottish cricket is a minority game .
[edit] Media
Scotland has distinct media from the rest of the UK. 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.
Regional dailies include The Courier and Advertiser in Dundee and the east, and The Press and Journal serving Aberdeen and the north.
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. 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, while others, such as drama and comedy programmes, aim at audiences throughout the UK and further afield.
Two Independent Television stations, STV and Border, also broadcast in Scotland. 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 Scottish Gaelic language, broadcasting UK wide on the Freeview platform every night between 6pm and 7pm on Channel 8.
The Gaelic Digital Service is due to begin broadcasting in Summer 2008 after being given the go-ahead by the BBC
[edit] 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, the Arbroath Smokie, salmon, venison, cranachan, bannock, Scotch Broth and shortbread.
Scotland is also known for its Scotch whisky and its distilleries, as well as for Scottish beer.
The soft drink Irn-Bru is often cited as Scotland's 'other' national drink in popular opinion.
[edit] Philosophy
Scotland has an extremely strong tradition in philosophy (especially for such a small country). Duns Scotus was one of the premier Medieval scholastics. In the Scottish Enlightenment Edinburgh became the home for an astonishing amount of intellectual talent, including Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, and Adam Smith. However other cities also produced major thinkers at this time: Aberdeen for example, produced Thomas Reid. 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.
[edit] Other facts of Scottish culture
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. 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. [1]
Scotland retains its own national church, separate from that of England. See Church of Scotland and Religion in the United Kingdom.
The patron saints of Scotland is Saint Andrew, and Saint Andrew's Day is celebrated in Scotland on 30 November. Saint (Queen) Margaret, Saint Columba and Saint Ninian have also historically enjoyed great popularity.
[edit] References
- ^ "Iomairt Cholm Cille". Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. http://www.pobail.ie/en/IrishLanguage/IomairtCholmCille/. Retrieved on 2008-07-20.
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[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Culture of Scotland |
- Scottish Gaelic language
- Scottish cringe
- Scottish folklore
- Scottish literature
- Scottish music
- Scottish national identity
- A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle
- Tartanry
- Homecoming Scotland 2009
[edit] 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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