In Brave, each clan wears a specific design on their clothing as a matter of unity and pride amongst its members. The clothing featuring this design is known as a tartan (don’t get caught uttering the world “plaid,” as the Scots in your midst are ready to pounce on you if you do). With today being National Tartan Day, Disney/Pixar is celebrating by raising awareness of the holiday. After the jump, check out some cool details about tartans, Brave, and Scottish culture.
Disney/Pixar has created a Facebook page for the holiday, with some information about its origins:
Observed for the first time in 1997, National Tartan Day celebrates Americans of Scottish descent. April 6, Tartan Day, marks the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, which would later serve as inspiration for the Declaration of Independence. As such, everyone is encouraged to honor all things Scottish on this day—history, culture, people, food and—if desired—an upcoming epic adventure that happens to be set in the stunning land.
Additionally, they have highlighted some numbers that are important to the holiday as well as the film. They may not be as memorable as 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 (that one was all for you, LOST fans), but check a few of them out below:
9 – The number of yards of fabric used in making traditional kilts
4 – The number of tartans designed for “Brave” (King Fergus of DunBroch + three unruly clans: Macintosh, MacGuffin and Dingwall)
3 – The number of kilts owned by “Brave” director Mark Andrews
2 – The number of research trips to Scotland taken by the “Brave” production team
1 – The number of legs King Fergus has (he lost his other to the demon bear Mor’du)
3 – The number of identical brothers featured in “Brave”
For more, visit the official Facebook page.
