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Tartan Week in Waipu 1st – 16th July 2011
Tartan Week in Waipu 1st – 16th July 2011
Small towns New Zealand each have their own character – giant Lemon and Paeroa bottles in Paeroa or carrots in Ohakune. In the small Northland town of Waipu south of Whangarei, its Tartan - in fact all things Scottish.
July 1st is International Tartan Day – celebrating the day in 1782 when the ban by the English on the wearing of Tartan was lifted, and what had been traditional highland dress became the proud emblem of nationalism in Scotland.
From July 1st for over two weeks, Waipu will be awash with tartan and invites everyone who loves the energy of Scotland to join in the fun. There is something for everyone from the Artntartan Wearable Arts, to pets in tartan and mid winter swims. The Rugby Men in Kilts will be playing once again and Classic Hits Breakfast show will broadcast live from 6am on 1 July.
Local businesses are getting into the swing of it – you can taste some haggis at the Waipu Butcher, join a whisky tasting in the old jail, try a Haggis Burger at the Waipu Pizza Barn, go for a full on Scottish brunch at the Clansman Motel or buy a tartan scarf at the Thistle.
And of course there will be bagpipes, and highland dancing and the Waipu Scottish Country Dancing Club will be hosting a Ceildh on their club night.
Waipu is a small town of about 500 folk, but nearly double that number of Gaelic speaking highlanders built a community here after having been burned out of their crofts in Scotland. That action began a remarkable migration across the globe, via Nova Scotia and Australia, and finally arriving to settle here in Waipu.
The story of the migration is told in the Waipu Museum, and is reflected in the greeting as you arrive in Waipu – Cead Mille Failte – A Hundred Thousand Welcomes. And if you are lucky enough to be in Waipu during a festival, you will hear the Waipu Highland Band playing the pipes. Dig out some tartan to wear and come and join us.
Tartan
week 2010 on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/n6pyZkUh1Sc
www.waipu-tartan.co.nz - full
timetable
www.waipumuseum.com - museum and
ArtnTartan
ENDS
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