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== The Kilt ==
The most famous thing about Scotland (to people overseas) is [[Man in
Often in American (and even English!) television, all Scottish people will be wearing the kilt all the time. It also seems to be believed that Scottish people often go without underwear--especially when they compete in the Highland Games or when Highland Dancing. In reality you would almost never see a kilted person walking the streets of a Scottish town, and if you did they were probably on their way to a wedding or similar. Basically, in any situation where an American would wear a tuxedo, a Scotsman would wear a kilt. And underwear is actually required at the Highland Games and in Highland Dancing competitions! It's also a requirement to wear undergarments with rental kilts for far more grave reasons than embarrassment. Although if you own a kilt and are wearing it, it's far more common than is realised to go without underwear. It's more of a personal choice thing. You'll occasionally see a kilted person playing the bagpipes on certain high streets for charity or because they are part of an actual bagpiping club, but that's it.
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== Clans ==
The familiar feudal system which we know from ''[[
The Clan system along the English border was slightly different from that in the Highlands; it's nature came from the constant warfare between England and Scotland, but lasted even after(roughly)amiable relations were established in the reign of Elizabeth of England and James of Scotland. When James succeeded Elizabeth forming the United Kingdom, the Border clans were ethnicly cleansed. After that they tended to be resettled in areas where highly ferocious people could be out of sight of [[The Government]] but not out of sight of indigenous peoples whom the crown also found inconvenient. In Ireland they formed much of the ancestry of the Ulstermen. In North America they became the "Scots-Irish" which settled in the Appalachians and further West. The Highland Clans took longer to subdue. They tended to take the side of the Stuart dynasty in the various civil wars and were almost eliminated culturally after the Battle of Culloden in 1745. They were saved by two quirks of history. One was that it was realized that Highlanders in fact made useful soldiers and were as apt to serve the crown as rebel against it. The other was the Romantic movement in literature, notably as represented by Sir [[Walter Scot]]. During this time ethnic exoticism became seen as colorful instead of dangerous, and the clans became fashionable in the ruling classes of Great Britain. Many of the customs we associate with the Clans in fact date from this period. For instance, the Tartans or clan heraldry on the kilts were in fact not standardized until this period. In another way, however this was a bad time for the Highlands, as it was the time of the notorious Clearances in which landholders(I.E. Chiefs) were evicting the tenants for the sake of changing the agricultural products. Some of the evicted tenants survived by migration, to North America and other places and others survived from the pay for soldiering. In any case the Clan system as in old times exists today more as a focus of identity then as the political system it once was.
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** Other famous Scottish soups include Scotch Broth and Cullen Skink. Both of which are nice if made well from good ingredients.
* '''Kippers''': A smoked herring that's being split down the middle. Vibrant orange-yellow in colour, they can be eaten cold as well as hot. Eaten by sufferers of [[Knight Fever]]. Arbroath Smokies are haddock smoked in a similar way.
* '''Haggis''': "Great Chieftain o' the puddin' race", as [[Robert Burns
** Demonstrating how traditional and international food can be deliciously merged: The Spicy Haggis Panini.
* '''Irn Bru''': Pronounced "Iron Brew". Scotland's ''other'' national drink. Radioactive orange in color; alleged to have energy-giving properties, and to be made from girders. Believed to be a good cure for hangovers, which may explain its popularity.
** Scotland's ''other'' other national drink is '''[[wikipedia:Red Kola|Red Kola]]'''<ref> There are two varieties, Curries's or Barr's. We strongly advise you not get involved in a debate over which is better</ref> which is pretty much the same as Irn Bru only instead of radioactive orange it is radioactive red. Pretty much anything you hear about Bru can be applied to Red Kola, with all the same caveats. Red Kola is most popular in Ayrshire and the surrounding, for the obvious reason that that is where Curries used to make the stuff before being bought out. Also available in a boiled sweet form which is called Red Kola Kubes.
*** For anyone confused and wondering, Scotland's ''first'' national drink is of course '''Whisky''' of which there are [[wikipedia:List of distilleries in Scotland|huge amounts of types, brands, varieties, labels, and distilleries]]<ref>this is due to something of a renaissance in micro-brewing in the last decade or so. Some of these small operations will only brew one label on a very limited run before closing again, or change varieties and brewing methods with each casking</ref>. Tasting them all and debating which is best is the work of a lifetime, so is debating exactly how many there are and which type is which for that matter. One which definitely isn't, is [[Spell My Name
* '''Deep-fried Mars Bars''': Are actually real. They originated as a novelty item somewhere in some corner of darkest Scotland - although its true origins are shrouded in the mists of time<ref>and alcohol</ref> - and have since spread to become a novelty item everywhere else: a kind of national joke and conspiracy, but if a tourist asks for one, he's getting one. (Note that [[Separated
* '''Scotch Pies''': a Scottish institution even more than the 'White Pudding Supper'. If they went away, what would the football fans eat instead? It doesn't bear thinking about.
** The '''Macaroni Pie''' variant comes as a particular shock to tourists, who often find it difficult to wrap their heads around the idea.
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*** Scotland also has number of Fruit Wine makers, most famous are probably [http://www.cairnomohr.com/ Cairn O'Mohr] (say it [[Incredibly Lame Pun|out-loud]]) and [http://www.moniackcastle.co.uk/index.htm Moniack Castle].
** Be warned, alcohol is [[Serious Business]] here so tread lightly.
* '''Square Sausage''': Sasauge. [[Exactly What It Says
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Finally, Scotland also has differing traditions for the holiday season. Christmas is traditionally less important (people working on Christmas Day is still quite common, and almost everyone is back at work by the 27th), with an increased emphasis on New Year's Eve (known as Hogmanay). Hogmanay is, more or less, a gigantic booze-up. Ceilidh music and the singing of Auld Lang Syne are also very common. Street parties are held - most famously in Edinburgh - and [[The BBC|BBC Scotland]] has an evening of programmes dedicated to it. Both New Year's Day and January 2nd are [[Bank Holidays]] in Scotland, basically to deal with the almighty hangovers from Hogmanay. Hogmany programming traditionally revolved around the late, great Rikki Fulton's ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSDaNIdmV-Y Last Call]'' monologue prior to the bells. Over time this has been replaced with ''Chewin' the Fat'' and ''[[Still Game]]'' specials and football-themed sketch show ''Only an Excuse''. The [[BBC]] coverage is often mocked as consistently being downright awful for [[The Eighties|some unfathomable reason]].
See also [[Scotireland]], [[Violent Glaswegian]], [[Everything's Louder
{{examples}}
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* Tintin - ''[[Tintin
* Destro, weapons supplier of the evil Cobra organisation in [[G.I. Joe]], is the scottish James Mc Cullen XXIV, and some battles have even happened in his family castle.
* Wolfsbane from ''[[X
* Carl Barks's [[Disney Ducks Comic Universe|Scrooge McDuck]]. The ancestral McDuck lands were a part of the lowlands called "Dismal Downs", but by Scrooge's birth the family had long since decamped to Glasgow.
== [[Fanfic]] ==
* Aideen from [[
== [[Film]] ==
* ''[[The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie]]''
* ''[[Casino Royale 1967]]''
* ''[[Star Trek (
* ''[[The World Is Not Enough (Film)|The World Is Not Enough]]'' (the funeral)
* ''[[The Wicker Man]]''- original version.
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* ''[[Local Hero]]''
* ''[[Gregorys Girl|Gregory's Girl]]''
* ''[[Four Weddings and
* ''[[Whisky Galore]]''
* ''[[Trainspotting]]'' (''not'' the shortbread-tin version).
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* ''[[In the Loop]]'' has the 'Double Scotch' duo of Malcolm Tucker and Jamie MacDonald. Some of the best examples of Scottish swearing in cinema.
* Ironically, ''[[Laurel and Hardy|Bonnie Scotland]]'' only has a short bit in Scotland before taking off for India for the rest of the film.
* [[Canon Foreigner|Gutsy Smurf]] from ''[[The Smurfs (
* Disney/Pixar's ''[[
== [[Literature]] ==
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* And don't forget ''[[Rob Roy]]'' by Sir [[Walter Scott]], although the accuracy of that may very well be questionable.
** Nowadays, Scott is the person most frequently credited/blamed for inventing the whole notion of [[Bonnie Scotland]]. And not just because of his surname.
* According to [[Word of God]], ''[[Harry Potter (
** Specifically, somewhere in the vicinity of [http://www.dufftown.co.uk/ Dufftown], according to Hermione.
* Just about every Christopher Brookmyre book.
* In ''[[Lonely Werewolf Girl]]'' a [[Theme Park Version]] of the Scottish Highlands features as the base of the Werewolf royal family. The sequel ''[[Curse of the Wolfgirl]]'' has a more realistic<ref>well as realistic as you can be in a book about werewolves and fire-demons</ref> version along with the city of Edinburgh.
* In the ''[[Necroscope]]'' series all the standard "shortbread tin" stereotypes are invoked, then brutally eviscerated. Much like several main characters.
* ''[[Outlander (
* ''[[The Railway Series]]'': Donald and Douglas are from Scotland, which is reflected in their accent.
* ''The Loch'', by Steve Alten is an obvious case, but readers may not be prepared for how much it goes into detail. Everything from the geological conditions that formed Scotland to its religious traditions to its legal traditions to its spats with England come up.
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== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* ''[[Taggart]]'': As almost every English actor's CV will typically contain an appearance in ''[[The Bill]]'', every Scottish actor's will feature a bit-part in ''[[Taggart]]''. Except [[David Tennant]] who has failed the audition several times.
* ''[[
* ''[[Hamish Macbeth (TV series)|Hamish Macbeth]]''
* ''[[River City]]''
* ''[[Doctor Finlays Casebook|Doctor Finlay's Casebook]]''
* ''[[Take The High Road]]'', later shortened to ''[[High Road]]''.
* ''[[Rebus]]''
* ''[[Rab C. Nesbitt]]'' (They did allow Tennant a part. As a pre-op transgender barmaid. With great legs!)
* ''[[Still Game]]''
* ''[[Power Rangers RPM]]'' has Flynn McAllistair (the Blue Ranger), who is proud of his heritage, dressed up like William Wallace in a flashback, and wore a kilt to a wedding. The greatest battle of the series is Kiwi Actor vs. Scottish Accent.
* ''[[The Thick of It]]'' - features many references to the Scottishness of its lead character [[Magnificent Bastard|Malcolm Tucker]] and his [[Bastard Understudy]] Jamie. Tucker is called '[[Hamish Macbeth (TV series)|Hamish MacDeath]]' and 'The Gorbals Goebbels' by opposition MP, Peter Mannion.
* ''[[Star Trek:
* ''[[Star Trek:
* ''[[Smallville]]'' would occasionally make a thing of the Luthor family's Scottish roots. That [[Did Not Do the Research|Luther is a German name]] didn't seem to occur to them. Justified because in a later season we find out that {{spoiler|Lionel Luthor actually made that up}}
* In the ''[[
** Upon hearing Amy's order that it's okay to leave everyone else to die, in order to safely come back to her and the baby;
{{quote| '''Rory''': You are ''so'' Scottish!}}
** Second Doctor companion Jamie was a bagpiper from the highlands who almost always wore a kilt.
* ''[[
* ''[[The Muppet Show]]'': Angus McGonagle, the Argyle Gargoyle who [[Trrrilling Rrrs|garrrrrgles Gerrrrrrshwin! GORRRRRRGEOUSLY!]]
* [[Stargate Atlantis]] who's resident Doctor Carson Beckett notably wears a Scottish flag as his mission patch. This is despite English characters such as Peter Grodin who wear the Union Flag. ''Make of that what you will.''
== [[Music]] ==
* [[
* [[
** They visited later the same subject matter in the songs "The Battle of Bannockburn" and "Highland Tears".
** Recently they released another album based on Scotland, ''The Clans Will Rise Again''.
* [[Franz Ferdinand]], being a Scottish band, get inspiration for a fair number of songs from the vibrant (and distinctly non-shortbread-tin) Glasgow nightlife. The most obvious [[Shout
* Scotland has a large body of traditional and folk music, much of it dealing with Scottish life and history. The most prominent exponents of Scottish folk were The Corries, a duo comprised of Ronnie Browne and the late, great Roy Williamson, who helped popularise the folk revival of the '60s, and penned ''Flower of Scotland'', the nation's unofficial anthem. Other artists include Silly Wizard, The Clutha and The Tannahill Weavers, among many others.
** Highly successful celtic rock band Runrig hail from the Hebridean island of Skye. Much of their music deals with Scottish culture and tradition and makes use of the Gaelic language. They have covered several traditional songs, most famously ''Loch Lomond'', which became something of an anthem, and the definitive rock adaptation of the song.
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== [[Poetry]] ==
* Scotland has a rich poetic traditional, including a great body of work in the Scots language, most famously the work of [[Robert Burns
== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==
* Much like Scotty from ''[[Star Trek:
* Scotland has a number of independent wrestling groups - including the Scottish Wrestling Alliance (SWA) who famously got a pay-off from [[WWE]] when the latter launched NXT, a name which was already used by the SWA for a similar concept.
* Notable Scottish wrestlers who are actually from Scotland include Drew McIntyre and The Highlanders (Robbie and Rory). "Superstar" Bill Dundee - of Memphis wrestling fame - was born in Scotland but raised in Australia.
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== [[Video Games]] ==
* The Highland tribe levels in ''[[Lemmings]] 2'' are set in [[The Theme Park Version|a cartoony version of]] the Scottish Highlands, featuring redheaded Lemmings, thistle death traps, and Loch Ness Monsters and Scottish terriers as decorations and/or obstacles.
* The Scotland track in ''[[
* The Rockstar North department of Rockstar Games in based in Edinburgh. Rockstar North is well known for developing all of the Grandtheft Auto games. Before they were bought by Rockstar and became Rockstar North they also made the Lemmings Games and the first Grandtheft Auto games as DMA Design Ltd.
* Lilly Satou, one of the five heroines of the [[Visual Novel]] ''[[Katawa Shoujo]]'' and her sister Akira are Half Japanese, Half Scottish.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[
* Much of the mythology in ''[[
* The ''[[Kim Possible]]'' villain Duff Killigan wears a kilt and tam'o'shanter, lives in a castle, is obsessed with golf, loves haggis and has a soundtrack of bagpipes playing whenever he appears onscreen. (So he's American, is he?)
* ''[[The Simpsons (
== Other ==
* [[George Macdonald Fraser]], who wrote, among other things, his splendid history of the Border Clans, ''[[
* Newspapers provide us with ''The Sunday Post'', which is Heather and Shortbread in Sunday newspaper form.
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