Scottish Cultural Organization of the Triangle
Serving Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill & Central NC
By Catherine McKinley Mistletoe In the Celtic times, druids observed the festival of “Alban Arthan” (also known as “Yule”) during the Winter solstice. In Norse mythology, mistletoe was a symbol …
Continue reading “The Celtic Roots of Our Christmas Traditions”
By Carolyn McDonald Graf Half a pound of tupenny (= two-penny) rice,Half a pound of treacle.That’s the way the money goes,Pop! goes the weasel. Treacle brings up memories of sweets …
By Carolyn Graf It’s said that raisins were discovered when humans stumbled into some grapes drying on a vine. History books record that raisins were sun-dried from grapes as long …
Continue reading “Tastes of Scotland: Raisin History and Recipe”
By Catherine McKinley Plaid pumpkins Anyone? Halloween has decidedly Celtic origins. Some traditions which began long ago are still active among Scots both inside and outside of Scotland. Halloween in …
Continue reading “Scotland’s Fall and Winter Holiday Traditions”
By Catherine McKinley WOVEN CLOTH ORIGINS? The oldest example of textiles were flax fibers, radiocarbon-dated to between 30,000-36,000 years ago. Woven wool fabrics seem to have first been used in …
By Carolyn McDonald Graf Scotland is an island nation made up of large and small bits of land surrounded by water. The western most of these are the Outer Hebrides. …
Cabbage is a very ancient food going back 4,000 years. There is evidence that Mongolian nomads learned to preserve cabbage in brine bringing a new method of preservation and flavor …
Continue reading “Tastes of Scotland: Cabbage and Barley Broth”
Scotland has produced it’s share of classical music legends. Its most notable composer might be Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) whose famous piece “The Wedding March” has, and still does, accompany many …
Coinneach MacLeod is The Hebridean Baker. He began sharing his love of the Outer Hebrides and Scottish recipes on social media in 2020. This book, a result of the popularity …
Easter is a very important day in Scotland. In pre-Christian times, there was a Saxon festival called “Eastre,” later, it was integrated with the Christian festival. Historical records indicate Easter …