The Elephant House café in Scotland is known as a “place of
inspiration” since it is considered the birthplace of Harry Potter, or rather,
where the author J.K. Rowling first started writing the Harry Potter
books. When we traveled to Scotland and
arrived in Edinburgh, I could see the magic that this city held, and perhaps
the reason for that inspiration. During
our short time in Scotland, we visited the beautiful home of Sir Walter Scott, full
of war relics and honored family crests.
We explored the exciting city of Edinburgh, meeting new people along the
way. We toured the Edinburgh castle,
learning about the history of war and their people. We hiked to Arthur’s seat, which was well
worth the treacherous stairs and uphill steps to the top to see the spectacular
view of the city and the landscape. Most
notable from our trip to Scotland though, for me, was the number of bagpipes
and kilts found everywhere. These
cultural artifacts really make Scotland who they are.
During our visit to Scotland, we had the opportunity to tour
the Scottish Parliament, where we learned about the history and function of
their nation’s Parliament. It was very
interesting to compare their Parliament to the Welsh Assembly. In class, we discussed many of the
differences and similarities between the two, especially about their identity
along with a Parliament separate from England.
One thing I thought was fascinating was why there were significantly
more Scottish people who voted to have their own Scottish Parliament than Welsh
people who voted to have a Welsh Parliament (About 51% voted for the Welsh
Parliament while about 70% voted for the Scottish Parliament). I think the identity of Wales and of Scotland
was the major factor behind the result of the vote. This led me to question of what makes a national
identity stronger than others? Scotland has a longer history of having their
own Parliament and even their own King for a time, while the parliament in
Wales is a more recent establishment. To
me though, the Scottish identity is more distinctive than the Welsh because of
kilts and bagpipes, specifically bagpipes.
As soon as we entered Scotland, we were greeted with a man in a kilt
playing the bagpipes for visitors at the Scottish border. This to me was a huge example of how Scottish
identity is very distinct, and stronger as a nation. While in Scotland, there was shop after shop
selling kilts, and street performers playing the bagpipes. I wonder if having a musical instrument tied
to one’s country can make their identity stronger? Although I could not speak for a Scot, as an
American, whenever I hear our country’s national anthem, it evokes a strong
sense of pride in me. The familiar tune
reminds me of how blessed I am to be living in the nation I live in. I imagine that similar feelings are shared
when Scots hear the bagpipes. In fact,
historically, during World War I and II, pipers were trained for military
service. I imagine that that must have also
made the soldiers remind them of what they were fighting for, boosting national
pride and morale. As another example, just
like when one hears the Harry Potter theme song, anyone who has seen the movies
will be reminded of the magic of the stories, and can be brought to feel
things. Today in Scotland, bagpipes are
still used in the military and played in formal ceremonies, which I believe
still helps the people to be reminded of their country and what they stand
for.
Scotland has their signifier, but does Wales have anything? If Wales had a certain instrument linked to
their culture, would their national identity be stronger? In researching a Welsh
national instrument, I could not find a specific one, other than the harp which
is popular in Wales. Looking back to our
trip to Wales, I couldn’t pick out anything that set it apart from England,
other than the fact that there were less people and more sheep. In comparing my experience of the two tours
of Parliament, I think that since the Welsh people are still trying to create
their identity, they are more open to share it with other people, and promote
this cool new thing they’ve got. On the
other hand, Scotland doesn’t feel like they need to sell us on their Parliament,
because it has already been a part of their identity for a while. I think that
by having cultural artifacts like bagpipes and kilts strongly associated with
Scotland, their national identity is indeed stronger. It allows for them to have something to call
their own. It brings a sense of unity to
their people. It’s a part of their
history. And since this had led to a
stronger identity, I believe that is why more people voted for Scotland to have
their own Parliament, because they want to continue preserve that part of their
own identity separate from England.
Additionally, this week in class we talked about the U.K.’s
decision to leave the E.U. Looking at
the voting patterns, most all of Scotland voted to stay in the E.U. Wales, on the other hand, was about 50/50,
split between wanting to leave and wanting to stay. It struck me again how Scotland’s identity
has so much to do with this vote.
Scotland must feel comfortable enough with their own identity to want to
remain in the E.U., and the fact that almost all of Scotland voted the same
way, indicated they have a unified, confident nation. Contrastingly, Wales differed in opinion
about half and half. Again, I wonder if this
is attributed to the cultural artifacts having a strong influence of a nation’s
identity. Bagpipes have been a part of
Scotland’s musical tradition and culture for centuries. And kilts have been a part of their wardrobe
since the 16th century. These
things have set Scotland apart, distinguishing themselves as a nation, for a
long time.
Back to the magic of Harry Potter, Scotland left in me the
desire come back and stay for longer, to experience all the country has to
offer. But, even in the two days we were
there, I think I saw enough kilts and heard enough bagpipes to last me a while.
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