Colors of Kilmarnock - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Residents of Kilmarnock respect and honor their historical traditions, which have been formed for hundreds of years. They love their traditional music, traditional costumes, as well as culinary customs, sharing them willingly with all foreign visitors to the country. For many years, inhabitants of Kilmarnock and other Scottish cities were considered quite private and secretive. Such character traits were formed during difficult historical periods for the city.

Over hundreds of years, the city had experienced a lot of conquests and military clashes, which became the reason for quite a hostile attitude of citizens towards foreigners. Today, nothing reminds tourists of the difficult fate of the city, its people are very kind and open, treating travelers with some interest and respect. All one needs to fully experience such a welcoming atmosphere is to visit the city during one of the national holidays.

On festive days, solemn processions always take place on the streets, you can see locals dressed in traditional tweed clothing. A compulsory part of any public holiday is musical performances, in which bagpipers occupy a central place. The most famous Scottish musical instrument is one of the most complex in the world. Now in some museums and at thematic festivals tourists are offered to try to play it on their own. However, to fully master this unique instrument, you will need several years of hard training. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Some interesting locals holidays began to be celebrated in the times of ancient Celts. A great example is St. John's Day, which is celebrated on the day of the summer solstice. After hundreds of years, the beautiful holiday has lost quite many original features, but some traditions have remained unchanged for more than 600 years. On a holiday, it is customary to kindle bright fires - it is believed that they help scare away evil spirits and contribute to the active growth of planted crops.

Once animal husbandry and farming were among the main sources of livelihood for inhabitants of the city, so this kind of rituals was of great importance. In the present-day conditions of urban life, they are nothing more than a tribute to historical customs, however, the kindling of bonfires on the shortest night of the year still remains popular entertainment for locals.

Many interesting traditions are regularly observed on New Year's Eve. It is customary to celebrate one of the main holidays of the year in a family circle. After the New Year comes, locals go to visit their friends and relatives. By tradition, the first guest in the house in the new year must be a dark-haired man who brings happiness and prosperity for the new year. The door to this man should necessarily be opened by a girl or a woman who should be kissed in turn. The inhabitants of Kilmarnock are distinguished by a good sense of humor, so on New Year's Eve, they often send their grandmothers to open the door.

Local wedding traditions are equally interesting. Before proposing to the woman, the man in love should give her not a ring, as is customary in many European countries, but a Luckenbooth brooch. Another common gift for a lady before the wedding is a silver spoon, which is considered to be a symbol of well-being and prosperity.

Traditional wedding clothing is quite unusual as well. If the bride goes to the altar in a regular white dress, the groom is dressed in a real historic costume on the wedding day. The upper part is a classic white shirt and a jacket, and the bottom is a traditional kilt. The groom's mandatory decoration is a bag made of natural deer fur. In today's modern city, such traditions may seem quite unusual. Nevertheless, they have long become an integral part of the local culture.

Over the past 200 years, Johnnie Walker whiskey, which first began to be produced at local Diageo factory, became one of the main symbols of the city and the real pride of its residents. Now this whiskey is one of the most famous and prestigious in the world, its recipe was invented in Kilmarnock at the beginning of the 19th century.

A few years ago, the government decided to move the historic factory to Glasgow, which was a real shock for citizens. To defend their unique national symbol, more than 20,000 people, almost half of the population of Kilmarnock, took to the city streets. Reverent and non-indifferent attitude towards history and traditions is one of the main personality traits of local people.