What is the name of the Scottish skirt? Kilt. Men's Scottish skirt. The skirt is a reflection of the status of a man in the Roman Empire

The Highlanders of Scotland, the famous Roman legions, and the Greeks too, sported unshaven knees. And this did not stop them from feeling like men.

The Scottish skirt, kilt, is a symbol of courage, freedom, courage, severity and stubbornness of real highlanders and has excited the imagination of the fair sex for centuries.

Replacing skirts with pants.

The history of trousers began... with an ordinary skirt. For thousands of years, the clothing of men and women included skirts and cloaks. The appearance of trousers happened much later. Y.V. Bromley and R.G. Podolny in the book “Created by Humanity” wrote about excavations near Vladimir, where they found the remains of people in fur pants who lived 20 thousand years ago. This suggests the emergence of pants even before the domestication of horses. Presumably, leather pants came to Europe from the Scythians, who lived about 500 BC. The Germans and Gauls appreciated clothing that was so comfortable for the rider. But for a long time, “barbarian clothing” was banned in one of the leading civilizations of the Ancient World and antiquity - Ancient Rome.

Now everything has changed, but the Scots and Greeks wore a skirt, along with pants, for a long time.

Women's attack on men's territories.

Women have long encroached on the holy of holies - men's trousers, but their struggle for equality was truly selfless. It was only after World War II that women were able to wear men's trousers more freely.

Historians claim that the first to wear them was the national heroine of France, Joan of Arc. It was the wearing of men's clothing that the court tribunal was able to blame; the girl courageously rejected the rest of the charges. Under the pretext that Joan of Arc put on men's clothes again, women's clothes were taken away from her, and she was sentenced to be burned.

In 1950, rock and roll finally gave freedom to women's trousers.

History of the kilt.

Kilt- an item of men's clothing, the traditional clothing of the brave highlanders of Scotland.

The kilt is made from a large piece of fabric about 12 ells (1356 cm), wrapped around the waist and secured with special buckles and belts. The kilt is accompanied by a small bag for personal belongings - a sporran, and the kilt itself can be “large” (Great Kilt, Breacan Feile) and “small” (Little kilt, Feileadh Beg). A large kilt can be thrown over your shoulder and covered in bad weather. Nowadays the kilt is about four or five yards long (3657-4572 mm) and 56-60 inches (142-151 cm) wide.

Real highlanders, with a kilt, carry a knife behind their right stocking. If the knife is located on the outside of the golf course (in front), then this meant a declaration of war. From the very beginning of the 17th century, the Scots used the occles skin - an underarm dagger located in the left sleeve under the armpit. The traditions of hospitality required that a weapon be visible when visiting, and the highlander transferred the knife from a secret pocket to the garter of his right knee socks. Over time, they began to carry a knife constantly, and it received the name skin doo.

The first description of a kilt in the Highlands of Scotland is found in 1594: “Their outer clothing is a speckled robe of various colors, with many folds to the middle of the calves, with a belt around the waist, tightening the clothes.”

And in the description of 1746 it is said: “This clothing is quite loose and helps men who are accustomed to it overcome difficult obstacles: make quick transitions, endure the severity of the weather, and cross rivers. A kilt is equally convenient for life in the forest and in houses. In a word, it helps to cope with what ordinary clothes cannot do.”

The word “Kilt” itself comes from the Old Icelandic kjilt (“folded”) and the formidable Vikings with tartan. Tartan is a woolen material with lines of varying widths and colors that intersect each other at certain angles. Each clan had its own inclination, color and width of the tartan, which made it possible to immediately identify a stranger. By the number of tartan colors one could recognize a person's social status: one - a servant, two - a farmer, three - an officer, five - a military leader, six - a poet, seven - a leader. There are now about 700 tartan designs (sets), although many were forgotten during the ban on kilts.

Not all Scots wore a kilt, but only Highlanders. In Scotland (Highlands), a large kilt was very suitable for rainy climates and mountainous terrain. The kilt warmed well enough, provided freedom of movement, dried well, and at night became a warm blanket. During the battle, when maximum freedom of movement was required, the highlanders took off their kilts and fought in their shirts.

There is even a legend about such a battle. In 1544, a battle of clans took place between the Frasers, MacDonalds and Cameroons, it was called Blar-na-Leine, which translated means “Battle of the Shirts”. But this is a common play on words: "Blar na Leine" comes from "Blar na Leana", which translates as "Place of the marshy meadow".

But there was also a real battle without kilts. In August 1645 the Battle of Kilsyth took place. The Marquis of Montrose with three thousand Scots and Irish met in battle against the army of seven thousand William Baillie. The Scottish Highlanders, who struck the center of the enemy's positions, threw off their kilts during the battle and defeated superior forces wearing only their shirts.

Photo: baekken flickr.com/annspan

In the 18th century The British authorities tried to ban the wearing of a kilt by the Scots, in which they saw the waywardness of the Highlanders, and force them to wear trousers. But the proud and stubborn Highlanders bypassed the law and wore a kilt and wore their trousers on a stick.

The small kilt supposedly originated in 1725 at the instigation of the Englishman Rawlinson. The manager of the steel mill suggested leaving only the lower part of the kilt for convenience, and cutting off the rest. The length of the kilt was determined as follows: the owner squatted down and the edge of the material that touched the floor was cut off.

Nowadays the kilt is popular not only among the militant Scots, but also among the dignified Englishmen.

Choosing a kilt and how to wear it.

Great Kilt, Breacan Feile.

The fabric is laid out on the ground and a non-corrugated piece is measured from the end to your width at the hips. The rest of the material is pulled up and laid in even folds. A belt is placed under the folded material with the buckle to the right. You need to lie on the fabric with your face and wrap the folded left end around yourself, then the smooth right end and secure with a belt. Stand up and drape the hanging upper part around the body: one end is pulled through the back, the other through the chest and secured with a buckle on the shoulder.

Small kilt (Feileadh Beg).

The main mistake a beginner makes is trying to place the folds of the kilt in front rather than in the back.

There are strict rules regarding the length of the kilt: “It must be four and a half centimeters above the floor when a man is kneeling, and its folds must strictly coincide with the checks on the fabric.”

The kilt is secured at the front with a special kilt pin. They are usually made in the shape of swords and decorated with ancient Celtic designs. Its task is to add weight to the free corner of the external apron. With a kilt they wear knee-length socks - Scottish hetaeras (hosses), as well as a long homespun shirt, the so-called Jacobite Shirt. A woolen beret in the tartan of a kilt is placed on the head.

On the front of the belt is hung a leather wallet - a sporran, decorated with metal details and embossed with Celtic patterns. It helps keep the kilt from lifting during wind and walking. Thus, allowing the man not to show himself in all his glory.

One of the interesting things about wearing a kilt is the issue of underwear under the kilt. Traditionally, true highlanders neglect wearing underwear. According to one version, it was forbidden to wear underwear under a kilt in Scottish regiments. Even when men left the army, the love for “freedom” and the habit remained. This is how the tradition of not wearing underwear under a kilt has passed down from generation to generation.

Former soldier Bill Smith, of the Gordon Highland Regiment Museum in Aberdeen: “Every day the regiment was inspected by an officer armed with a mirror, like those used to look for bombs under cars. Anyone who was found to have underpants was sent back to take them off.”

However, recently the Scottish organization Scottish Tartans Authority called for wearing underwear under a kilt for hygiene purposes. One of the members of the Scottish Parliament, Jamie McGrigor, said that he always wore underwear because there were flies in their area that could suddenly attack the “so-called real Scot.” But this demand outraged the Scots, who refused to follow it.

It is also known that all soldiers wearing a kilt were forbidden to climb the stairs to the second floor in trams and buses, so as not to embarrass women. Although maybe that’s why English women love the military so much?

Whether to wear underwear under a kilt or not, the choice is, as always, yours.

The modern kilt is in fashion.

Now the kilt is experiencing a new round of fashion: Jean-Paul Gaultier remembered men's skirts. Brands such as Dolce&Gabbana, Kenzo, Nikos, Vivienne Westwood, H&M have released men's skirts, breaking the imposed stereotypes. Recently, the “American spirit” brand Levis began producing denim kilts.

Photo: Salicia flickr.com/betzywd

Is this courageous? Just remember Sean Connery's Thomas in a kilt. In 1999, People magazine named him the sexiest man of the century, and in 2004, according to a poll by Empire magazine, Connery was placed among the hundred sexiest movie stars in cinema history.

The kilt is no longer something surprising and unnatural, and men are carefully looking at such comfortable clothes that all our distant ancestors wore. Male opinion is too conservative, but if you listen to women on forums where kilts are discussed, you can learn a lot. Men in kilts, dressed according to all traditions and with a bag - sporran, it turns out, very much excite the female imagination, and many sexual fantasies are associated with them:

“I really liked the men in kilts. So brutal... Well done, they're not like everyone else - they put on their pants and that's it. And these ones stand out. Stand out! I love the Scots. And there are all sorts of bagpipes, and castles, and men in kilts. Guys, why don't you wear kilts? These are not women's skirts with frills, but normal ones. The famous Roman legions, and the Greeks too, sported unshaven knees. And this did not stop them from feeling like men. Ah, kilts, kilts...".

What is the name of the Scottish skirt, which for some reason is worn by men and not women? Its name comes from the Scottish “kilt” and has meant a knee-length skirt since the 18th century. The modern kilt is a woven, woolen, pleated skirt for men from Scotland. Its length is chosen so that it ends at the top of the knees.

The history of clothing goes back at least to the end of the 16th century. Then it first appeared as a plaid around the waist or a “great kilt” - a garment the upper half of which could be used as a cloak, draped over the shoulders, or thrown over the head as a hood. The small or marching kilt (by analogy with the “modern one”) did not exist until the end of the 17th or beginning of the 18th century, and, in fact, it is the lower half of a large garment.

The term "kilt" is used:

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the noun comes from the verb to kilt, originally meaning "to wrap (a skirt) around the body", which appears to be of Old Norse origin - from the word kjalta, shortened by 2 letters.

Big kilt

The Breacan Fhéilidh (belted plaid) or Feileadh (large) most likely developed during the 16th century from a woolen plaid worn as a tunic.

With the increasing availability of wool, the cloak grew to such a size that it began to be gathered with a belt. The belted blanket was originally a thick woolen fabric consisting of two sheets ranging from 54 to 60 inches wide, and up to 7 yards (6.4 m) long. The upper half was worn as a cloak, draped over the left shoulder, or covered over the shoulders and head for protection from the weather. Once removed, it could be used as a blanket.

The description from 1746 reads: the robe is certainly very loose, which is suitable for a man to make very fast marches, to go against the weather, to wade through rivers. For battle, it was customary to remove the skirt in advance and put it aside.

The exact age of the great kilt is still debated. Early drawings or illustrations appear before the 16th century, the first written source that certainly describes a belted plaid or large kilt is dated 1594.

History of the small kilt

According to the most popular version, the modern Scottish skirt was invented by an English breeder from Lancashire, Thomas Rawlinson, after 1725. By wearing bulky, large kilts, the Scots were at risk when making steel. Rawlinson separated the lower part of the plaid to create a skirt for men. His colleague, Ian McDonnell, liked the invention, and after that it quickly spread among the highlanders and other inhabitants of the northern lowlands.

However, judging by some coats of arms, the pleated skirt has been worn since 1692. These clothes showed the degree of wealth of the owner. Ordinary people chose monochrome or simple checkered fabrics, while the rich could afford multi-colored squares.

After the defeat of the Scots at the Battle of Culloden, kilts and plaids were banned as an element of Scottish identity in the Disarmament Act, and were not used from 1746 until 1782. This men's skirt received a new life when the British King George IV visited Scotland in 1822 and wore a skirt to an official reception. The myth of the "Tartan Clan" also emerged during this period.

History of the drawing

The oldest find of tartan fabric dates back to the 3rd century BC. This is a piece of linen created using the wool of light and dark sheep. This coloring was later called “shepherd’s plaid.”

The colors of the cells and stripes depended on the area, or more precisely, on the plants that grew on it. Therefore, the colors helped determine which region a person was from, as well as his clan.

The most common name for this fabric is tartan, but in Russia it is more often called “tartan”. There is even a Scottish Register of Tartans - this catalog contains all existing fabric options. Many tartans bear the name of a clan. There are neutral patterns that are common to specific regions (such as the Edinburgh tartan) or belong to specific organizations (such as the Royal Scottish Dance Society or the Debian Project tartan).

It used to be that the cloth was reserved for citizens of their respective clans. Indeed, in Scotland people who wear someone else's clan tartan are frowned upon. But there are no legal provisions prohibiting this. Scots who see themselves as members of a clan always wear the right colors. But no one checks whether the buyer has the right to wear this particular look. And as a foreigner, you can choose any one if you wish to purchase a kilt or fabric for it.

What does a kilt look like?

A modern kilt for a typical sized man uses about 6-8 yards of single width (about 26-30 inches), or about 3-4 yards of double width (about 54-60 inches) of fabric. A Scottish skirt is usually made without a hem. The exact amount of fabric depends on several factors, including the number of pleats and the size of the person.

For a large kilt, 8 yards of fabric will be used regardless of size and number of pleats. The fold depth will be adjusted according to the size. For a very large waist, 9 yards of tartan may be needed.

If the kilt is sewn correctly, once fastened, it should not fit so loosely that the wearer can easily twist it around his body, but not so tightly that the tartan is wrinkled. The length of the plaid skirt should be about an inch above the knee.

Accessories

The Scottish kilt is usually worn with knee-high woolen socks, often with garters, and a fur-lined leather bag that hangs from a strap or chain wrapped around the waist. It can be plain or embossed leather, decorated with fur or metal trim.

Other common accessories, depending on the formal context:

belt (usually with a raised buckle);
jacket (various traditional silhouettes);
pin;
sgian dubh (from Gaelic - "black knife": a small sheathed knife worn at the top of the belt);
shoes (ghillies);
the kilt is sometimes worn with a shirt, although this is a relatively modern invention and should not be confused with actual historical clothing.

Wearing a kilt with or without underwear is a matter of personal taste. Due to the thickness of the fabric and the folds, the cold is not a problem for men, but for practical and hygienic reasons, underwear is still recommended.

Kilt today

Nowadays, most people consider Scottish kilts to be evening wear or national clothing. Although there are people who wear kilts during the day, skirts are generally purchased or rented to be worn at weddings or other formal events, regardless of their nationality or background.

Scottish skirts are also used for parades and orchestras. Some regiments/units of the British Army and other Commonwealth armies (including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa) with a Scottish background or heritage still continue to wear kilts as part of their dress or uniform, although they have been used in combat since 1940 year. Ritual kilts were also designed for the US Marine Corps.

The kilt is associated with a sense of Scottish national pride and is often seen when fans watch a football or rugby match. The black knife is sometimes replaced by a wooden or plastic alternative or omitted altogether for safety reasons.

The Scottish skirt for men is called a kilt. Refers exclusively to men's clothing, since it is not literally a skirt, like, for example, the women's version. This is usually a fairly large piece of cloth that is wrapped around a man's waist and secured with a belt and buckles. The fabric for a kilt can be checked or striped, and the check and stripe are harmoniously integrated into the traditional Scottish pattern, which is very popular not only in this country. A bag-purse on a kilt is called a sporran - it is customary for men to carry a small handbag for small things, since there are no pockets in clothes.

Today's Scots skirt can be made of wool, leather, viscose or raincoat fabric, and the clothes are sewn in different ways: for everyday wear, hunting or holidays. By the pattern and color of the fabric you can recognize the clan to which a Scot belongs. However, for residents of other countries, you can only be guided by your taste priorities when choosing a kilt. The tartan skirt for men is still popular in the British Army, as well as in the armies of some other British Commonwealth countries, where it is still part of the military uniform of the population. This clothing is worn in Scotland during musical performances, dances and sports competitions.

The Scottish men's skirt was first mentioned in the chronicles of 1594, where it was described as a speckled garment of various colors with many folds, descending to the middle of the calves and secured around the waist with a belt. The name comes from the Old Icelandic word kjilt, meaning “folded, folded.” Previously, this clothing was made only from tartan (checkered kilt fabric) - a wool material, the multi-colored lines on which intersected at certain angles, creating a unique pattern, which made it possible to determine the belonging of men to a particular clan.

Moreover, if the pattern on the tartan was the same color, this was a sign of a servant. Two colors on a Scotsman's kilt indicated that he was a farmer, a three-color tartan indicated an officer, and a six-color tartan indicated a poet. The largest number of colors was on the leader's tartan. In this way, it was easy to determine the social position of each person. To this day, more than 700 ancient unique patterns have been preserved, although many ornaments have been lost.

Why do Scots wear skirts?

What is called a kilt today was in ancient times part of a large blanket, or rather its lower part, with which one could cover oneself in bad weather, or throw it over one’s shoulder if the fabric was not needed. Large plaids were worn mainly by residents of the highlands, where such clothing was simply necessary, given the terrain and rainy climate. The large blanket dried quickly and gave freedom of movement, which was important, given the warlike nature of the mountaineers and the constant conflicts in which they participated. During the battles, the highlanders threw off the blanket and fought without clothes, and after the battle they slept, covered with a warm piece of fabric like a blanket.

British authorities in the 18th century tried to ban Scots from wearing kilts and demanded that they be replaced with trousers. However, the stubborn and proud mountaineers began to wear trousers on a stick, continuing to wear their national clothes. Since then, the Scottish skirt has become a symbol of courage, inflexibility, stubbornness and love of freedom of the Scots, turning into a national symbol.

Small kilt

Previously, skirt dyes were used only from plants. For example, black color was obtained from alder bark, blue color - from blueberries. Green paint was taken from cornflower, red paint was collected from lichen from rocks. The yellow color came from different types of ferns, and the brown color came from seaweed. Thus, the color of the fabric was associated with the flora of the area where the tartan was produced, which influenced the variety of its colors.

Putting on a large blanket is quite simple: first lay the belt, then put the material perpendicular to it, which needs to be gathered at the back. Then you need to lie down and wrap yourself on both sides with pieces of the remaining material, then fasten the belt, and throw the upper part of the fabric over your shoulder and tuck it under the belt.
Nowadays, this is not always and not everyone is comfortable, so now they wear short kilts with already stitched ones, called “small”, or Feileadh Beg. This clothing is only the lower part of a large blanket, the length of which reaches the knee. The material is wrapped around the hips and secured with ordinary straps with buckles, and not with a belt, as before. To prevent clothing hemlines from flying apart, a special pin is attached to them at the bottom to weigh down the fabric.

There is an assumption that Feileadh Beg first appeared in 1725. It was introduced into use by the English manager of a metallurgical plant, Rawlinson, who proposed cutting off the material touching the floor when squatting. Nowadays, Feileadh Beg has become popular not only among the Scots, but also among the English themselves. For example, there are numerous photographs showing Prince Charles in a short kilt with friends who are dressed in kilts of different colors, plain jackets and knee socks. Made from thick, heavy wool, small kilts practically do not wrinkle and can serve their owners for many years.

Types of men's skirts

Not only are kilts popular among men; different cultures have clothing that looks like a skirt. In Southeast Asia, men still wear a sarong, in India - a dhoti, unlike trousers, a skirt is much more comfortable, does not restrict movement and is made from one piece of fabric. There are also Pteruges, Fustanella, Hakama and Shuka.

Sarong

The sarong as a piece of clothing is common in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, India, Indonesia, and Polynesia.

Different nations have their own ways of tying a sarong, but in all cases it performs the same function - it protects the skin from the sun and provides the body with ventilation from below in a hot tropical climate.

You can watch the video on how to tie a sarong:

Dhoti

Dhoti is a traditional type of men's clothing common in India. It is a rectangular strip of fabric 2 - 5 m long, wrapped around the legs and hips with one end passing between the legs.

Typically, white or one-color fabric is used, sometimes decorated with ornaments along the edges. When worn, it resembles tight shorts or short bloomers.

How to wear a dhoti is shown in the video:

Pteruges

Spartan thick leather was part of the legionnaires' armor and protected the legs of the warriors.

Fustanella

The pleated men's skirt is a traditional costume of the Balkans, worn with a long white shirt and wide trousers.

Hakama

Traditional Japanese long wide pleated pants, similar to a skirt, bloomers or cassock, were originally worn only by men. In the Middle Ages, only kuge, samurai and priests were allowed to wear them daily. Today, hakama is often worn by girls at graduation ceremonies.

Shuka

Bright, practical Maasai clothing attracts attention at first glance; the outfits themselves seem to hint at the true purpose of the male gender to protect families, hunt, get food, and protect the home.

The Maasai are a semi-nomadic African indigenous people living on the savanna of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. The Maasai are one of the most famous tribes in East Africa.

Probably everyone remembers that in the last century, women had to literally win for themselves the right to dress in seemingly such purely men’s clothing as trousers for several decades. At the same time, many did not even suspect that somewhere there was a brave and determined people, whose representatives of the stronger half wore such a fashionable ladies' outfit as a Scottish skirt. What is it called and how do the mountaineers put on this national clothing - this and much more will be discussed in our article.

Historical background

The first mention of such an unusual outfit is found in documents dating back to the end of the 16th century. Its description was as follows: mid-calf-length outerwear in a variety of colors, with a belt and a large number of folds in the fabric. To put it simply, this is a Scottish skirt. What is the name of such an extravagant, by our standards, men's outfit?

Kilt is the name given to clothing consisting of a long piece of fabric, folded in a certain way, and complemented with belts and buckles. The name itself is of Old Norse origin and means “folded.” Woolen fabric (tartan) was decorated with lines intersecting at right angles, and they differed from each other in both width and color. Interestingly, each clan had its own special designs and tones. It was from them that representatives of one or another clan could accurately identify a stranger. In addition, by the number of colors on the fabric, it was possible to determine what position a particular person occupied in society.

In our time, there are only about seven hundred sets of tartans, but in fact there were much more. The fact is that many of them were forgotten when the Scottish men's skirt was banned for some period. This happened in 1746 after the suppression of the Jacobite uprising. Then the British authorities banned the wearing of not only the kilt, but also other national clothing made from tartan. This restriction was in effect for more than 35 years.

Advantages

I must say that the kilt is very comfortable. In rainy climates it was simply irreplaceable. It warmed perfectly in cold weather and could be used not only as clothing, but also as a warm blanket, dried quickly enough, and did not interfere with its owner’s movement. When maximum freedom of action was required, for example, during battles, the Scottish skirt was removed, and the warrior remained in one long shirt.

It is interesting that at first the kilt was worn exclusively by residents of mountainous regions - Highlanders. It is worth noting that this clothing was not previously part of the national culture, until recently. Only in the middle of the 19th century did the Scottish skirt for men gain sufficient popularity among representatives of the nobility of the lowland regions, as well as the foreign diaspora.

Big kilt

This clothing consisted of two pieces of thick woolen fabric, previously sewn together. Their length varied from 4 to 8 meters. Such a Scottish skirt, the name of which was pronounced in different places as Great Plaid and Belted Plaid (“big” or “belted plaid”), required a certain skill in putting on. To do this, the tartan fabric was laid out on a flat surface, with the non-corrugated part of the fabric equal to the width of the hips, and the rest was laid out in even, neat folds. In addition, a belt with a buckle pointing to the right was placed under the material folded in this way.

To put on such an outfit, men lay face down on the fabric and first wrapped it in the left end, which was previously folded, then in the smooth right one, and tightened it all with a belt. After this, already standing, they fastened the free upper part of the kilt, draping it around the body in such a way that one end stretched through the chest, and the other through the back and was fixed on the shoulder with a buckle. As you can see, a Scottish skirt for men is not so simple. It’s interesting that many people, when putting on a real big kilt for the first time, often make the same mistake - they place its folds forward, not back.

Small kilt

It represents only the lower part of the so-called large blanket, that is, a piece of woolen material that wraps only around the hips. It is most often kept on the figure not by a belt, but by means of straps with buckles.

A tartan skirt must comply with several strict rules. These include a standardized length: its hem should be 4 cm above the floor when the man kneels. In addition, it is mandatory that the folds on the kilt match the tartan cells.

Additional accessories

The most necessary and minimal set of additional parts for a kilt includes a belt, hose, kiltpin and sporran. The last accessory listed was a leather wallet, most often embossed with Celtic designs and small metal studs and medallions, and hung on the front of a belt. Its purpose was not only to carry money and other small items, it also prevented the kilt from lifting both when walking and during windy weather. This is a very important detail considering one thing about wearing underwear. It lies in the fact that the mountaineers neglected him from the very beginning.

Some sources say that the Scottish regiments deliberately prohibited wearing underwear under the kilt. There is only one explanation for this - even in the army, the highlanders remained a long-standing habit. With the advent of double-decker buses and trams, soldiers, whose military uniform was and still is a Scottish skirt, are strictly forbidden to climb to the upper platform, so as not to shock the women.

The second mandatory addition to the kilt are hoses - special long socks or leggings that reach the knees. The next accessory was a kiltpin - a special pin, often made in the shape of a sword, which weighed down the free corner of the outer part of the skirt. In addition, a long homespun shirt was always worn under the kilt. The look was completed with a woolen beret, always made in kilt tartan.

Hollywood celebrities and more

Despite the fact that the Scottish skirt is considered national clothing, it is not worn in everyday life, so men dressed this way cannot be found in the office or store. This clothing is most often used at ceremonies such as family celebrations, weddings, various festivals, etc. Also, the kilt, as mentioned above, is part of the military uniform and, interestingly, not only in the British army.

Some Hollywood celebrities, such as Ewan McGregor, Robbie Williams, Sean Connery, popular singers including Rod Stewart and Sting, as well as members of the royal family - Prince Charles and his son William, have also taken to wearing the tartan skirt.

The kilt is made from a large piece of fabric about 12 ells (1356 cm), wrapped around the waist and secured with special buckles and belts. The kilt is accompanied by a small bag for personal belongings - a sporran, and the kilt itself can be “big” (Great Kilt, Breacan Feile) and “small” (Little kilt, Feileadh Beg). A large kilt can be thrown over your shoulder and covered with it in bad weather. Nowadays the kilt is about four or five yards long (3657-4572 mm) and 56-60 inches (142-151 cm) wide.

Kilt is the clothing of the Scottish Highlanders. (pinterest.ru)

Real highlanders, with a kilt, carry a knife behind their right stocking. If the knife is located on the outside of the golf course (in front), then this meant a declaration of war. From the very beginning of the 17th century, the Scots used the skin occles (sgian achlais) - an axillary dagger located in the left sleeve under the armpit. The traditions of hospitality required that a weapon be visible when visiting, and the highlander transferred the knife from a secret pocket to the garter of his right knee socks. Over time, they began to carry a knife constantly, and it received the name skin doo.

Battle. (wikipedia.org)

Residents of Scotland. (pinterest.ru)

The word “Kilt” itself comes from the Old Icelandic kjilt (“folded”) and the formidable Vikings with tartan. Tartan is a woolen material with lines of varying widths and colors that intersect each other at certain angles. Each clan had its own inclination, color and width of the tartan, which made it possible to immediately identify a stranger. By the number of colors of the tartan one could recognize a person's social status: one - a servant, two - a farmer, three - an officer, five - a military leader, six - a poet, seven - a leader. There are now about 700 tartan designs (sets), although many were forgotten during the ban on kilts.

Not all Scots wore the kilt, but only the Highlanders. In Scotland (Highlands), a large kilt was very suitable for rainy climates and mountainous terrain. The kilt warmed well enough, provided freedom of movement, dried well, and at night became a warm blanket. During the battle, when maximum freedom of movement was required, the highlanders took off their kilts and fought in their shirts.

Battle of Clans

There is a legend about such a battle. In 1544, a battle of clans took place between the Frasers, MacDonalds and Cameroons, it was called Blar-na-Leine, which translated means “Battle of the Shirts”. But this is a common play on words: "Blar na Leine" comes from "Blar na Leana", which translates as "Place of the marshy meadow".

There was also a real battle without kilts. In August 1645 the Battle of Kilsyth took place. The Marquis of Montrose with three thousand Scots and Irish met in battle against the army of seven thousand William Baillie. The Scottish Highlanders, who struck the center of the enemy's positions, threw off their kilts during the battle and defeated superior forces wearing only their shirts.

Kilt. (pinterest.ru)

Nowadays the kilt is popular not only among the militant Scots, but also among the dignified Englishmen.