THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 2, 1995 TAG: 9510310136
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
The skirl of bagpipes will echo through the columns and down the aisles. Kilts and patterns of plaids will fill the pews.
A blend of Scottish pageantry and religion returns with the 18th annual Kirking of the Tartan on Nov. 12 at Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Ghent.
Rich in spectacle and tradition, the ``blessing of the tartans'' is one of the highlights on the church's annual calendar. Between 500 and 700 people are expected for the 10:15 a.m. service.
``In terms of attendance, it's the third largest service after Christmas and Easter,'' said the Rev. James W.H. Sell, Christ and St. Luke's rector. ``Because it's so spectacular, people come early to get good seats.''
At the center of the pomp is the Tidewater Pipes and Drums band, which will march and play in full regalia as part of the service. The group will be joined by a procession of members of the Scottish American Military Society, the Scottish Society of Tidewater and the St. Andrew's Society.
The event honors St. Andrew, Scotland's patron saint, believed to have been born in November. Kirk is the Scottish term for church. A tartan is a pattern of plaid identifying a clan or family.
``This helps mark awareness of our Scottish ancestry in American society,'' said Edward B. McCaskey, master of ceremonies and a lifelong member of Christ and St. Luke's.
Although many in the congregation are of Scottish lineage and will don Highlander garb, the church welcomes everyone to the event.
``A lot of our congregation and guests are of Scottish heritage,'' Sell said, ``but what is really important about this is the respecting of families and tradition.''
A kind of encore follows the service. The Tidewater Pipes and Drums and the Virginia Beach Highland Dancers give a musical program in the church's courtyard. Surrounded by the structure's Gothic architecture and dressed in colorful plaids, the young girls perform the Highland Fling and other traditional dances, literally stepping back in time.
Residents walking along the Hague often gather to watch the show.
The kirking came to Christ and St. Luke's through efforts by McCaskey and the late Charles McDuffie. In 1975 the pair formed the Scottish Society of Tidewater. The Tidewater Pipes and Drums were coming together about the same time. Inspired by the annual kirking at the National Cathedral in Washington, McCaskey proposed the idea to Christ and St. Luke's in 1978. The event has grown ever since. The British Broadcasting Company filmed the ceremony several years ago and aired it in Scotland and England.
The kirking was born out of the Jacobite Rebellion in Scotland in 1745, when the English outlawed wearing tartans and playing bagpipes under penalty of death. Scots ignored the ban and wore their plaids to church, where the ministers blessed the clans.
The first formal kirking held in the United States was in 1941 in Washington as a way for Scots to honor relatives and friends fighting in World War II. Today the ceremony is hosted by several cities along the East Coast. MEMO: People in Scottish attire wishing to participate in the procession
should be at the church courtyard by 9:30 a.m.
by CNB