Scotland
Scotland is one of the countries that is part of the United Kingdom collective along with Northern Ireland, Wales and England. Its land neighbor is England. If you were to pull a map of Scotland out, you would notice that the country is surrounded by water and that there are several lakes called lochs throughout the country. Of course, the most famous loch of them all is Loch Ness and it is one of the most visited in the country. It probably has to do with all those people looking for Nessie, the mythical creature that supposedly traverses those waters.

It is these myths and legends like Nessie and Loch Ness that are a strong part of the Scottish culture. The Scots love a good story and part of their tourism is sharing those myths and legends through storytelling. If you visit the country, you must go to some Scottish festivals. Many traditions of the citizens are carried out and displayed to visitors. For instance, you will have bagpipers playing Scottish music and wearing the traditional Scottish kilt. Through dance, music and storytelling, these folk entertainers convey the history of Scotland and particularly relish sharing the more bloody battles between old Scottish clans and armies from hundreds of years ago.

The Scotland flag may not be as recognizable as the regal looking coat of arms which is a golden shield with a Gaelic looking taloned lion on it. The Scottish flag is all blue with and big thick white “X” across it. You will discover this flag proudly flying in many places. In addition, you will hear several songs played at many different events. One of them is “The Flower of Scotland.” It is sort of the unofficial song of Scotland.

Perhaps the one thing that virtually every tourist to Scotland does is visit some of the Scottish castles. Some of these a relics of times long gone and are more like ruins. Some Scottish castles have been renovated to become hotels and other accommodations. There are even several that claim to be haunted. Of course, these also have tours so that you can see for yourself! If you want to go on a castle tour, be sure to invest in a Scotland map that point out these areas of interest. You might even consider hiring a tour guide.

When you visit Scotland during the holidays, don’t expect a big fanfare. While they do celebrate Christmas, in Scotland it is lower key. They will have bonfires and play traditional music like the bagpipes. They will also attend mass. New Year’s Day is the big celebration day. If you cannot get to Scotland any time soon, you can sort of bring Scotland to you. Scottish names for babies are one way to honor the country as well as your Scottish heritage if you have any. Some popular Scottish names include Aileen, Finola and Maisie for girls and Barclay, Campbell, and Ewan for boys.