Community Corner
Kirkin' o' the Tartans at First Pres of Wheaton
First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton is celebrating the Scottish heritage of the Presbyterian
church through a wonderful service of bagpipes and drums, tartans, Covenanter
Guards, Beadles, Scottish liturgy, and traditions of the old Scottish Kirk at
the 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. worship services on Sunday, October 27, 2013.
The Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans services are a celebration of Presbyterian roots, going
back to the Scottish Reformation of the 16th century. Church
members who can trace their lineage back to this historical time will be
carrying tartan flags symbolizing the special clans that are their own
heritage. This is a very colorful and
moving worship service for people of all ages.
The talented
Thistle & Heather Highland Dancers of Chicagoland, accompanied by a
bagpiper, will perform for you and possibly give some dance lessons between services from 9:45 to 10:35 a.m. Stay after or arrive early for the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans service and see how the Scots keep
active.
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Feel free to dress Scottish!
Kilts are welcome! You do not
have to have Scottish heritage to wear a plaid scarf, tie, or other plaid
clothing.
At the time of the
Scottish Reformation of the 16th century the Scottish people expressed their
family heritage by the wearing of a specific plaid cloth known as a clan
tartan. As time went on the freedoms of the Reformation were eroded.
From 1746 to 1782 the wearing of tartan or any plaid or striped clothes
was against the law; bagpipes were banned; and kilts were forbidden because the
controlling British authorities believed they promoted too much of a sense of
identity for the Scottish people and the Scottish Church. According to
legend clan members often kept a small piece of their clan's tartan hidden
under their clothing and would bring it secretly to the kirk (church) so that
it could be blessed and prayed over. That piece of tartan symbolized the family
and the community; and having it blessed and prayed over, was, in effect,
praying for the family and the community.
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Dr. Peter Marshall,
chaplain of the United States senate and an immigrant from Scotland, held the
first Kirkin' o' the Tartans service on April 27, 1941, at the New York Avenue
Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, where he was the pastor. This was
to remind Presbyterians of their heritage and possibly also to raise funds for
British war relief. Since then this service has evolved in the United States,
Canada, and Australia to include bagpipes, drums, and often a parade of tartan
flags, especially in Presbyterian churches. It has also been held in
other Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches.
Kirkin' comes from the
word kirk which means church. Therefore, a Kirkin' o' the Tartans service
is a "churching" or a blessing of those things Scottish, particularly
the tartans or plaids that represent individuals, families, or clans.
Beyond that, however, a Kirkin' o' the Tartans service asks God's blessing upon
the Presbyterian church and is a rededication to the Reformed heritage and
historical faith of the Church in God.
Classes
are offered for children during the Education Hour from 9:45 – 10:35 a.m. Child care is provided for children four years
old and younger during the 8:30 and 10:45 services.
First
Presbyterian Wheaton is a member of the Presbyterian Church USA. For more information, call (630) 668-5147 or
visit www.firstpreswheaton.org or
http://www.facebook.com/firstpreswheaton.
