subject: Tartan Of The Highland Clans [print this page] One of the oldest clans of the Highlands of Scotland, clan Mackenzie has a long recorded history going back to the 12 th century when the clan was founded. The seat of the Mackenzie clan is Ross-shire and Kintail and the clan is of Celtic Gaelic origin with roots In Irish noble families. This brave and noble Highland clan has raised many regiments that have been loyal to the British crown.
As with all major Scottish Highland clans, the Mackenzie clan also has its own Mackenzie tartan. In fact, some of the regiments and bands raised by the Mackenzie clan also have their own tartan. Hence there is more than one tartan that is associated with the Mackenzie clan and each one of the Mackenzie tartan is recorded in the tartan library, Collection of the Highland Society of London. One recorded Mackenzie tartan is worn by the Seaforth Highlanders, a regiment raised by the Earl of Seaforth. This Mackenzie tartan is also worn by the Pipers and Drummers of the Royal Military College of Canada, There is another modern Mackenzie tartan which is presently used as a dress tartan by clan members.
As part of the formal clan attire, tartan ribbon is also used that has the same pattern as the tartan cloth. Tartan ribbon is used as an embellishment on dresses decorations and is available in varying widths and lengths. Materials such as wool or polyester are generally used to make the tartan ribbon. Now, tartan ribbon is an important item used in Scottish theme parties or weddings. Available in all the top clan tartan patterns, the tartan ribbon has found a number of uses and applications and is also exported to many countries.
Traditional Tartan dress of the Scottish men of different clans is the Kilt. The famous tartan dress; the kilt is worn not only by highland clans in Scotland but also in many other countries of Celtic and Gaelic origin such as Ireland, Wales etc. The tartan dress is made of woolen fabric in a special weave called tartan that resembles checked plaid. The worsted wool fabric can be light to heavy and is woven into tartan checks of different patterns. There are different tartan patterns for different clans and clans can be identified by the pattern of their tartan dress.
The construction of the tartan dress for men is also specific. It is worn like a skirt fastened at the waist. Beginning in the front which is plain and the back which is pleated, the last part of the kilt is also plain and overlaps the first plain portion. The kilt is knee length and is fastened by means of straps and buckles. It is amazing to know that a tartan dress for a full grown man requires about 7 to 8 yards of fabric and for a very big man even 9 yards of tartan fabric could be used.
