Come to First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood and experience the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans with drums and bagpipes!
What is the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan? It simply means this: Kirk is the Scottish Gaelic word, which means church. Tartans are the traditional plaid cloth that each Scottish clan and family wore, similar to a family crest. Therefore, Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan meaning bringing the tartans to church.
Though the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan ceremony is a Scottish-American custom celebrating Scotland and Scottish heritage, it began fairly recently. At the beginning of the Second World War, the Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, Reverend Peter Marshall (who went on to become Chaplain of the U.S. Senate) created the ceremony to raise relief funds for British war refugees. And while it began in Presbyterian churches (which is also the Church of Scotland), it has now spread to churches of various other traditions.
Though the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan ceremony is a Scottish-American custom celebrating Scotland and Scottish heritage, it began fairly recently. At the beginning of the Second World War, the Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, Reverend Peter Marshall (who went on to become Chaplain of the U.S. Senate) created the ceremony to raise relief funds for British war refugees. And while it began in Presbyterian churches (which is also the Church of Scotland), it has now spread to churches of various other traditions.
Here at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, it goes beyond simply celebrating our denomination’s Scottish roots. It has become a blessing of the wide diversity of faith and family heritages represented in our church community. So, as we celebrate our church’s roots in Scotland, complete with Scottish delicacies, (and of course a wee dram of Scotch, for those who wish) we celebrate the fact that our church family has ancestral roots from all over the world and yet, we have become one family in God.
