The Annual New York Tartan Week is now underway. Many events are planned for this great week of Scottish festivity. Visit http://tartanweek.com or http://www.scotland.org for more details.

Tartan week is a celebration of the contribution and influence that Scots and their descendents have played in the development of the United States.  In 1997 this influence was recognized by a single-year U.S. Senate Resolution that appeared in the Congressional Record of April 7, 1997.

In 1998 National Tartan Day was officially recognized on a permanent basis when the U.S. Senate passed Senate Resolution 155 recognizing April 6th as National Tartan Day. This was followed by companion bill House Resolution 41 which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on March 9, 2005.

 

April 6th commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, which asserted Scotland's sovereignty over English territorial claims, and which was an influence on the American Declaration of Independence.