Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs gets ready to dance. Photo: Rob McDougall

People from across the world have been invited to join in a global ceilidh held over 24 hours next summer, as part of Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games celebrations.

The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS), which has been commissioned by Get Scotland Dancing to create the Commonwealth Ceilidh, will work with dance organisations in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen to create new ‘fusion’ dances which will be performed along with existing dances in a worldwide event on Saturday 21 June 2014.

The Commonwealth Ceilidh will begin with events in New Zealand at 7.30pm local time; the next events will begin two hours later in Australia, then in Japan and onwards, with the dancing beginning at 7.30pm in Scotland, 12 hours after the Ceilidh started.

Along with Commonwealth Ceilidhs in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh it is hoped that Commonwealth Ceilidhs will take place in hundreds of locations across Scotland and the UK. The Commonwealth Ceilidh then continues over to the Americas and organisers are aiming for the final event to take place in Hawaii 24 hours after the first ceilidh call was made.

Each Commonwealth Ceilidh will be unique to its location, with an interval in every event giving the chance for groups to showcase their national or local dance style. Organisers are especially interested at present in hearing from people who would like to organise a Ceilidh in their own community.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said:

“The Commonwealth Ceilidh is set to be the biggest celebration of Scottish Country Dancing the world has ever seen – It will be a fantastic way to celebrate, share and showcase our culture during 2014.

“As well as being celebrated throughout the Commonwealth, participants in Scotland will get the opportunity to go to a taster class in their community in the weeks following the Ceilidh. The fact is – Scottish Country Dancing is fun, social and good for our health. I expect that from John O’Groats to Jedburgh – Achiltibuie to Auchmithie – many participants across Scotland will keep dancing through the rest of 2014 and into the years beyond.”

Eileen Gallagher, Independent Director on the Glasgow 2014 Board and Chair of the Ceremonies, Culture and Queen’s Baton Relay Committee, said:

“The Commonwealth Ceilidh will be a vibrant celebration of Scottish culture which everyone can get involved in no matter where they are across the world. The chance to learn the three specially created new dances as part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme will make the Commonwealth Ceilidh a unique and exciting opportunity for so many people who love Scottish country dancing.”

Event planning information will be available in January 2014 and the programme of dances, music and training resources will be available in March 2014. You can register your interest at the Get Scotland Dancing website.

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Tartan Day Parade, New York City

With Tartan Day just around the corner, we’ve put together a selection of global events celebrating Scotland’s contribution to the world. This year’s festivities range from a Ceilidh in Cuba, to historical reenactments in Buenos Aires and Whisky tasting in the Netherlands.

Celebrated on April 6, Tartan Day falls on the anniversary of the signing of the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath. The declaration sought to assert Scotland’s right to self-govern and to lift the church’s excommunication of Robert the Bruce. Signed by fifty-one magnates and nobles, the declaration was written in Arbroath Abbey by Bernard Linton, Abbot of Arbroath Abbey and Chancellor of Scotland. It was addressed to Pope John XXII who supported England’s Edward II’s claim to the throne in Scotland. The declaration explained how the Bruce had delivered Scotland from Edward I’s unjust atrocities, and that Scottish independence was the prerogative of the Scottish people, rather than the king of Scots.

As well as shaping Scottish national identity, the Arbroath Declaration’s ideas about kingship, independence and the rights of the people is said to have formed the basis of the American Declaration of Independence. The rich contribution Scots have made to America was recognised in 2005 with the House of Representatives declaring April 6 National Tartan Day. A Presidential Proclamation for the national day was issued by George W. Bush on April 4 2008.

Scotland:

• Arbroath – Friday March 29 – April 7
  A ten day programme of events that includes a commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath, an international golf competition and talks by geneaologists and historians. www.tartandayscotland.com

United States:

• New York City – Tartan Week April 3-9
  Not satisfied with just one day, New York celebrates with an entire week dedicated to all things Scotland. The main event is the parade with over a thousand pipers and drummers marching along Sixth Avenue on April 6. Other events include The Caledonia Collective, Macbeth on Broadway and the 10K Scotland Run. www.tartanweek.com
• Dallas, Texas – Tartan Day Ceilidh April 7
  An annual free event held by the Scottish Society of Dallas. Features the North Texas Caledonian Pipes and Drums, Seamus Stout, Highland Dancing and educational displays. www.scottishindallas.org
• Los Angeles, California – April 6
  The Tartan Day Dinner will be held at the historic Tam O’Shanter Inn and will feature music by Peter Romano of The Ploughboys and piping by Cindi McIntosh. www.saintandrewsla.org

Canada:

• Halifax, Novia Scotia – April 5
  The birthplace of ‘Tartan Day’ celebrations, the Halifax festivities will include stories about Prince Charlie, dancing, poetry and a four-course dinner. www.scotsns.ca
• Ottawa, Ontario – April 7
  A day of heritage, piping, song, dance, and drums will be celebrated in Ottawa with the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band performing. www.sospb.com

Australia and New Zealand:
Tartan Day celebrations in the Oceania region are held on July 1, the anniversary of the Repeal Proclamation of 1782 annulling the Act of Proscription of 1747, which had made wearing tartan an offense punishable with up to seven years’ transportation. Events in 2013 are currently being planned in Adelaide, Brisbane and Auckland.

Rest of the World:

• Havana, Cuba – April 6
  A Ceilidh will take place in Havana at Las Estacaiones Pub, with fiddlers Chrissy Crowley and Anna Ludlow hosting and open session of Scottish and Cape Breton tunes alongside Celtic duo Sean Am. www.facebook.com/CelticMusicSessionsInHavanaCuba
• Buenos Aires, Argentina – April 7
  Argentinians will celebrate Tartan Day with a Celtic and Nordic Fair, pipe bands, a reenactment of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath and a parade along Mayo Avenue.
• Rotterdam, Netherlands – April 7
  Events in Rotterdam will include a tartan fashion show, Whisky tasting and highland dancing. www.theworldofscotland.nl
• Fish Hoek, South Africa – April 8
  The Tartan Day Dance features an open evening of dance presented by the Fish Hoek Scottish Country Dance Club. www.scd.za.net

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