Kirkin’ O’ the Tartan celebration comes to Red Bluff

On Sunday, a Kirkin’ O’ the Tartan will take place at the Red Bluff Presbyterian Church, 838 Jefferson St.

The 11 a.m. worship service will begin with a processional led by the church Sexton carrying the Beadle (Bible), followed by Banners of Faith, the Jefferson Pipe Band featuring bagpipers and drummers,the Presbyterian Church choir, pastor Jack Eisel, and church lay readers. Included in the service will be the blessing of individuals and families of Scottish descent. Attendees will hear traditional Celtic pipe hymns and melodies following the service, accompanied by a coffee hour which will include traditional Scottish shortbread, fruits, coffee and punch.

The Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan custom began in response to English attempt to extinguish Scottish culture. In 1746, a Parliamentary Act sought to deny the Scottish people the right to wear the kilt, plaid or any tartan garment. Bagpipes, as well, were banned and defined as a weapon in the continued effort to destroy highland clan identity. Arrest, imprisonment or banishment to the colonies was the price paid for almost 40 years, to those disobeying the law in the highlands. During this time the women of the highland clans, whose men were far from home, would take a small piece of their tartan to the Kirk (church) to be secretly blessed and to pray for heaven’s protection for their clan and its members. Thus came the Scottish celebration known as the Kirkin’ O’ the Tartan.

This historically-based ceremony came to fruition in the United State when Peter Marshall, an emigrant from Coatdyke, Scotland, held the first Kirkin’ in 1941 at the New York Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. Marshall, a U.S. Senate chaplain and pastor of the N.Y. Presbyterian Church, used this ceremony to promote solidarity among American-born and native-born Scots who once again faced European conflict in the form of World War II.

The tradition of the Kirkin’ O’ the Tartan has since evolved into a colorful, festive occasion for celebrating Scottish heritage, asking God’s blessing and protection for those represented by the tartans. Celtic and Scottish peoples acknowledge the historical contributions of native Scots and Scottish-heritage Americans through the celebration of their faith. A creative blend of music, hymns and prayers from the Scottish faith tradition are relived in this worship service.

The Kirkin’ O’ the Tartan occurs on Reformation Sunday, the Sunday closest to Oct. 31, in acknowledgement of Martin Luther’s nailing of his 95 Theses on the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This act, in 1517, ushered in the beginning of the Protestant Reformation movement.
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