Traditional Scotland – serie

Customs play an important part in all societies and offer fascinating insights into a country’s history and culture. Scotland boasts a multitude of unique customs, many of which can be traced back to the times of the Druids, Celts and Romans.This book introduces hundreds of Scottish customs associated with a huge range of topics. As well as customs associated with key events of our lives, from birth to death, it also includes customs associated with the world of work, food and drink, health, animals and nature. Extracts from written works through the ages bring these customs to life and show how important they have been in the story of Scotland for thousands of years.

The Scots have always had a reputation for clarity of thought and also for the vigour with which it is put into words.This collection spans the entire gamut of a nation's recorded thought and experience from Roman Scotland to the present day. It covers a vast range of subject matter and demonstrates a remarkable variety of moods and tones, from the literary to the colloquial and bawdy. Packed with sharp observation and humour, it sounds other notes too. Meditative, triumphant, tragic, accusing, tender - and often hilarious - it reveals the spirit of Scotland in a truly unique way.

The origins of many Scottish festivals, such as Beltane and Hallowe’en, lie deep in the pagan past, and although the significance of many festivals may now be long forgotten, they have continued to evolve and evolve to satisfy the needs of the time.Including extracts from prose, poetry and historical documents, this book is an enthralling journey through the year and the pageants, parades, festivals and fairs which have played a huge part in Scottish life. It introduces the customs, traditions, lore and crafts associated with them, making it the ideal companion for anyone interested in this fascinating and rich aspect of Scotland’s cultural story.

Scotland has one of the richest traditions of folklore in the world, and the nation’s greatest writers have been influenced by the country’s abundance of customs, superstitions, ghost stories and folktales. Robert Burns, Walter Scott, James Hogg and Robert Louis Stevenson all used Scottish folklore in their work.This book traces the roots and traditions of Scottish folklore and introduces all its key parts, combining a huge range of material from gypsy-lore and Arthurian legend to tales of magical beasts, demons and witches and lore associated with the natural world.

Proverbs, once described as ‘the wisdom of many and the wit of one’, offer unique insights the way of life and the social mores of past generations.This book features an introduction which explores the role of proverbs in Scottish culture and over 1,000 proverbs arranged in easily accessible A–Z format. Many have been commonly used for hundreds of years, but modern sayings are also included. The addition of a comprehensive glossary will help you fully appreciate these colourful and often humorous nuggets of wisdom and advice. Jock’s a mislear’d imp, but ye’re a rum deilJock may be mischievous, but he’s well behaved by your standards The fish that sooms in a dub will aye taste o’ mudYou can never change your upbringing When ye can suit yer shanks to my shoon, ye may speakDon’t speak about me until you’ve been in a similar situation yourself

Names are very important and can unlock vast amounts of information about places and their origins. The placename of Scotland are a goldmine of information about times past and the lives of early inhabitants. The different languages of their origin – Gaelic, Pictish, Cumbric, Old Norse and Old English – reflect the many cultures that have been part of Scotland’s story and preserve the memory of those who gave names to the wild and beautiful landscapes in which they lived. Other names date back to prehistoric times and are the only link to a world now lost to us forever.This comprehensive book features more than 500 placenames and is an essential book for all interested in Scottish history and culture.

The 2000-plus years of Scottish history have seen a huge variety of events, from great national moments to personal achievements, each one helping to make and mould the character of the nation. This compendium takes note of the milestones – historical as well as cultural, serious as well as entertaining – but also of the many steps between them.Carefully chosen and researched for their interest and variety, they make a fascinating record: 150 vignettes form a 'family album' of the Scottish people from the Romans in Scotland in the first century CE to climate change in the 2020s. And everything in between.