Scottish Customs

by Sheila Livingstone

Customs play an important part in all societies and offer fascinating insights into a country’s history and culture. Scotland boasts a multitude of unique customs, many of which can be traced back to the times of the Druids, Celts and Romans.

This book introduces hundreds of Scottish customs associated with a huge range of topics. As well as customs associated with key events of our lives, from birth to death, it also includes customs associated with the world of work, food and drink, health, animals and nature. Extracts from written works through the ages bring these customs to life and show how important they have been in the story of Scotland for thousands of years.

Genres: Scotland, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Scottish Customs is a book that explores the origins of Scottish superstitions and customs whether practiced in the past or even nowadays.

The author chose to separate the book into sections based upon milestones and these sections are furthermore divided into subsections based upon various aspects of said milestone so if you are looking for a particular subject than you can easily flip through the chapter or maybe lucky if you find it in the index in the back.

The book is supplemented with records, traditional ballads and other contributions to help illustrate a point although sometimes the selection is the whole subsection.

At the same time the reader will find a glossary that includes some of the Scottish words along with its meaning although there are others that didn't make it as far. And there is definitely no pronunciation guide for any of the words.

As much as the information would be interesting it was presented in a dry and repetitive fashion while the organization was atrocious such as putting birth before marriage.

All in all it does provide readers with an insight into Scottish culture but not one I would return to for a second read.

[Samarth Bachkheti · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I moved to Scotland, I found it to be a quite distinctive modern society. On the one hand, I adored a movie like Braveheart or compositions of Dougie Maclean, while on the other hand, I enjoyed Danny Boyle's Trainspotting 1 and 2. They portray two diametrically opposite pictures of Scottish history. This book gives you a clear picture of the Scottish culture(which has largely obscured in the modern society). I loved reading every single page of this book. Sheila Livingstone gives a vivid description of the customs, festivals and long lost history of Scottish culture.

[Kylie Sprott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read - particularly as some of these customs are present in our modern world, especially as a reconnection to nature is now more popular.

Some of my ancestors were fishermen - the number of superstitions they followed was incredible. I am not sure how they remembered them all!

Every ritual seemed to involve drinking, eating & connecting with family & community. It was such an interesting glimpse into the life of my Scottish ancestors - I really enjoyed reading this book.

[SonJa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a good read if you want to know history &
Mythology.
I am definitely interested in old customs & things that make us who we are. I now understand where my family got some of their superstitions. I would recommend this book for people trying to understand where they come from, how their family customs evolved or historical cultures.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clever compendium of Scottish customs, superstitions, and behaviors across that country's history. This book includes literary references, a bibliography, and a glossary of Scots English terminology.

[MKF]

DNF

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting!

[Cody · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about drinking that is what you will hear the most