Customs and Traditions

Around the world people should know that every country owns a rich culture. Scotland is a good example, because it is one of the most attractive places in Europe today. This old country has a combination of ancient and modern traditions. When we hear the word “tradition”, the first topics that come to our minds are the following: values, beliefs, customs, and cultural expressions. Highlands Games, The Cowal Highland Gathering are examples of the most relevant Scottish celebrations. Since about one thousand years ago, Scotland enjoys its traditions and they are not exposed in a museum, because they are in a constant growth and development for the same population.  Scottish celebrations has many similarities with the others countries. But, what is the difference between Scottish traditions and other countries? What is the role of people in these traditions?

      Scottish people have a stubborn and tenacious behavior, which is characterized by a strong sense of identity and membership to its country. Although, the first time they may seem to be unsociable and closed-minded people, by nature the Scots are very tolerant, although, they consider that to shout, to speak out in public places is part of an inacceptable attitude. In the other side, for some Scots the customs and traditions are very important and are marked every year in their calendar.

     The first one is St Andrew’s Day which is celebrated on 30^th November. St Andrew’s Day is a traditional celebration, where young women pray to St. Andrew for a husband and then make a wish and look for a sign that they wish and prayers were heard. In the same day, the sign can be seen by throwing a shoe at a door and the toe of the shoe is pointed in the direction of the exit, then she would be married within the year and be leaving her parents’ home. Another sign or clue could be found by peeling an entire apple without breaking the peel. Then throw the peel over her shoulder to see if the peel formed a letter of the alphabet which might suggest the name of her future groom. In comparison with Chile, the celebrations have a religious meaning, because these are focused in spiritual aspects. For example, the celebration of “Our Lady of Mt. Carmel” is characterized by devotees, who give thanks for the help that they received about health, work, and family issues. These thanks are expressed through prayers, offerings, and sometimes pilgrimages. But, the most important event of this festivity is the Tirana Celebration, which people do a caravan and dance to the rhythm of the music.   

     The second one is Christmas celebration, which is very similar to Christmas throughout the world. On 25^thDecember, people sometimes make big bonfires and dance around them to the playing of bagpipes. Bannock cakes made of oatmeal are traditionally eaten at Christmas. Of course one thing that a traditional Scottish Christmas has with the rest of the UK is that normally at 3.00pm on the television is the recording of the Queen's Speech.

In the legendary country, Christmas had traditionally been celebrated very quietly, because the Church of Scotland, the Presbyterian Church, has never placed any great emphasis on the Christmas festival, However, the Scots are members of the Church of England or other churches generally celebrate Christmas in the same way as the English people disapproved of Christmas for they believed that there was too much riotous festivity that went on. Nowadays these things are held at Hogmanay, but they do celebrate Christmas with some very interesting customs. In Chile, we have the same traditions but one different aspect is that in our country the president does not give any kind of message, because population celebrates normally with their family, typical dinner, etc.

     Other important celebrations are Hogmanay and New Year. The Scottish people have their big celebrations on New Year's Day, called Hogmanay. A long time ago there is a superstition that it is bad luck for the fire to go out on Christmas Eve, since it is at this time that the elves are abroad and only a raging fire will keep them from coming down the chimney.

     Foods such as three cornered biscuits called Hogmanays are eaten. Other foods that are special at this time of year are wine, cordials, cheese, bread, shortbread, oatcake, currant loaf and scones. The Scots prepare for the New Year by cleaning their houses. This was believed to have been a purification ritual.

     In Scotland an old tradition that still is relevant today is that of the first footer which is said, that whoever the first person to set foot into your home on New Year's Day decided the family's luck for the rest of the year. This was based on the belief in the magic power of beginnings. The start of the New Year controlled its future course. In comparison with Scotland, Chile does not have tradition about the first person who enters the house after midnight will be indicates the good or bad look. The Chilean traditions are as superstitions. For example: to eat twelve grapes to have a lucky year, also to wear yellow underwear to find a couple, and to put a ring into a glass to have money. 

     The last one is Easter Day. Easter Day is a festival that marks the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is observed throughout the world with solemnity.   Easter traditions in Scotland include the age-old custom of painting on an egg and rolling it down the hill and lighting up huge fires. These also follow other conventional approaches of egg hunt and decoration contests. Scotland Easter traditions offer a blend of fun activities and religious offerings. The fun activities present the kids an excellent opportunity to enjoy the festival. During the festival, you can plan a break at the city of Edinburgh. The city observes major celebrations during the season with egg hunts and other events related to the festival. In the other hand, Scottish Easter Day has many similarities with Chilean celebration, because this date is divided in two parts. One is the religious commemoration and the other is the childhood celebration, with a fantasy about a rabbit, which leaves chocolate eggs in children’s houses.

     As we mentioned above, the traditions and customs form an important role in our lives, because they show parts from the entity of a nation. There are many similarities between Scottish traditions with the other countries, but the same people make the difference, because Scots feel and enjoy the celebration in a unique way. The Scottish culture reinvents its traditions through of same people with new celebration such as Film Festival, and Year of Creative Scotland, where people go to enjoy its ancient and modern traditions through dance, sing, theatre, games, etc. Every country has its own traditions, which make it unique, but the people around the world should know it. The best option would be that someday you could visit this magnificent old country. 

Education and Social Sciences

The education system is one of the elements that is necessary to characterize any country, while in the other side the social sciences, such as education, economy, demography, archeology, law, philosophy, and anthropology have an important role in the development of any society due are subject which are dedicated to the study of activities and behavior of the human being. If we base in the educational system, Scotland has had a long history in its public education, which makes it to be different in comparison with other countries that compound the United Kingdom. But, what did happen in Scotland’s educational history to become it in a distinctive country?

     Scotland has a long tradition in high quality education. In fact, institutions of the country as School of St. Andrews have acquired worldwide prestige. Officially the Scottish education date from Middle Ages, when the Catholic schools started to work in different places of the country, focusing mainly in the grammar.

     Later, the creation of the University of Glasgow, St Andrews and Aberdeen in the 15^th century provided the formation of the older children from noble families. The development in education kept on, and in the 17^th century, the Scottish schools really were distinguished in comparison with others. It included subjects such as Latin, religious instruction and physical education.

     At the present time, the Scottish children go to the school until 14 or 16 years old. In this age they can choose if they want or don’t want to keep on with their formation. One of the main differences between the Scottish education system and the rest of the Great Britain is that the first covers in a several range of subjects, while the second one deepens more in few of them.

     In accordance to the education in all Great Britain, it can divide in four stages, which are related with the student’s age.

     The obligatory education is divided in primary education (between 5 to 12 years old), and secondary education (between 12 to 16 years old). When the students finish the compulsory education, they take an exam called Scottish Certificate of Education Standard Grade.

     There is a limited amount of private schools, but less of 5% of children attend to the Scottish schools, while the public schools are parochial which can be protestant or catholic.

     Children with special conditions such as blindness, deafness, mentally retarded or other disabilities can receive a special attention in the normal schools or they receive it if they attend to specialized schools for this kind of children.

     In other hand, the Scottish economy is relevant for its progress. Since 1987 the economical growth in Scotland has been higher than United Kingdom, thanks to the new job generated by the industries that were created after the oil discovery in the North Sea, and the successful of Scotland in attract high technology industries.

     This country is based on whisky exportations, electronic products, and financial services to countries such as United States, Netherlands, Germany, France, and Spain. Its main companies are Thus, which is dedicated in telecommunications services, and Scottish Water and Abbot Group, which are dedicated in energy and water. No doubt, it is a country with a huge worldwide level. More than 75% of land is intended to the agriculture. Its main cultivation are barley (ingredient used to whisky and beer production), and the wheat, oats and potatoes. Other products are turnip, and fruits (Scotland stand out for its raspberries). Also, livestock production has a big importance. Scotland is the second country in Europe in the production of salmon.

      Within the social sciences also we have the demography. Scotland’s inhabitants descend from several racial groups such as the Picts, Celts, Scandinavians, and the Romans. Scotland is a society as industrial as rural, and its resident are divided themselves as highlanders and lowlanders. There is a marked Scandinavian influence in Orkney Islands and Shetland. Scotland has a population of 5,078,000 inhabitants approximately (2004) and a population density of 64 inhab/km². About two thirds parts of the population live in urban areas.

     The most populated city in Scotland is Glasgow with 578,700 inhabitants (2001). The second place most populated is Edinburgh capital with a population of 449,000 inhabitants (2001).

     The most spoken language in Scotland is English. Also, about 100,000 Scottish speak with a Gaelic style.

    

    In other hand, we have the archeology which is defined as the scientific study of materials remains of past human life and activities. Scotland is considered a remote archeological place due its archeological heritage. One of the most important archeological places is Skara Brae which is considered the Neolithic village more complete and the best preserved in Scotland.  It is located in Skaill Bayof which is considered the bigger island in Orkney.

     In Shetlands we can found other prehistoric settlements, Vikings houses, and old farms of the Middle Ages.

     Without having to go far, to the north of Edinburgh we have the possibility to know Inchcolm Abbey which is considered as the best group of monastic buildings preserved in Scotland.

     Also we have the law. The Scottish laws are based on the Roman law which combines the civil and the Anglo-Saxon law. Its origin was in the Middle Ages. The Scottish law states tree kind of courts which are responsible of the justice: civil, criminal and specialist courts. The maximum scope of the law is the High Court of Justiciary which is located in the Parliament House. The main civil and criminal instance is the sheriff courts. Finally, the Court of the Lord Lyon regulates the army law.

     Other important social science in Scotland is the philosophy. As Voltaire said “We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilization”. The Scottish philosophers have a large influence in the European thought in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The 19^th century was a period of time which every aspect of the Humanity life was questioned.

     In this period the Scottish cities were the genius center such as David Hume, Adam Smith, James Black, and James Hutton developed his ideas and incidentally were able to extend the Scottish illustration in 1740 to 1790.

     Due the illustration, the Scottish thinkers developed something that Hume called the science of the mankind, it is the anthropology, which was created by intellectual people as Lord Monboddo, Adam Ferguson, John Millar, Lord Kames, and William Robertson whose tackled the scientific study the behavior of the human being in ancient and primitive cultures, the changes, and how is the human being now at days.

     In short, although the social sciences haven’t made the education its main field of interest, it has realized education studies as a social process and social institution. Its discoveries are useful to teachers in the establishment of programs and practices. It provides important information to the study of the youth problems, population dynamic, and the social stratification of a society. But in the social sciences cannot reach absolute and final conclusions because there are various circumstances which may affect the conclusions. So always there is a margin of error due the versatility of human behavior.

    We can say that the social sciences are defined as a group of academic disciplines which are dedicated to the study the origin and the development of a society, institutions, relationships, and ideas that forms the social life. For this reason, all sciences has to realize an intensive study of every society in the world with the objective of identify the changes and differences of different countries around the world.