Clans and Scottish Societies of Canada

Join the party for Bagpipes, videos, pictures, live skaters and interviews. Visit Kiltskate.com or Cassoc.ca for details

Zoom and Facebook Party

The Scottish NA Community Conference December 4, 5, 6 - Virtual : On Line Join the Conversation - Lend your Voice How Can We Ensure the Ongoing Bonds of Scottish NA Friendship ( The Relevance of the Scottish Identity in a Globalised World... Keynote Speakers include Friday December 4 Clans - Families - Our Names - Our Heritage Andrew Morrison, Viscount Dunrossil Saturday December 5 Greetings from Scotland Joni Smith Scottish Government Counsellor for North America The Enduring Resonance of the Declaration of Arbroath Charles Edward, Lord Bruce Scottish Influence on North American Rt Hon Henry McLeish, Former First Minister of Scotland Sunday December 6 News from the The Court of the Lord Lyon Rev. Dr. Joseph Morrow, Lord Lyon, King of Arms Registration Opens October 1st https://scottishleadershipconference.com/ Hosted by The American-Scottish Foundation in conjunction with Chicago Scots, St. Andrew's Society of Detroit, Council of Scottish Clans & Associations, Clans and Scottish Societies of Canada, Guelph Centre for Scottish Studies and The Scottish Government See more

The Centre for Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph is hosting an ‘Armchair Travels: The Histories & Charms of the Scottish Highland Tour’ via Zoom on O...ctober 6th at 7:30 p.m. If you want to hear from Professor Kevin James, the new Scottish Studies Foundation Chair, register by October 3rd by emailing David Hunter at [email protected] to receive the link. For more info visit https://p10.secure.hostingprod.com//s/zoom-talk-201006.htm #ScotlandIsNow #ScottishInCanada #ScotlandWithoutTheAirfare

The Scottish fur traders arrived in the colonies largely as single men. The Scots were so compatible with the Indians that after 1750 nearly all the fur traders... among the Eastern Indians were Highland Scots. They soon aligned with Native American women. These marriages facilitated trade because Native wives usually taught their husbands their tribal languages. It was well acknowledged the key roles that Native wives played in their husband's operations. Historically there were a number of parallels between the American Indians and the Highland Scots. The two groups had much in common. The Cherokee admired the Highland Scots whom they considered fellow warriors. Each had fought lengthy battles, stretching over centuries, both against one another and against English speaking invaders. Members of both groups being driven from their homelands deepened the parallel. Both were mountain people with proud, independent, warrior societies who gloried in a good fight, rough games and reckless living. Each had achieved partial, but by no means complete, success in fending off invasions. As indigenous peoples, their social structures reflected numerous similarities. Each viewed land as essentially a communal resource, not a commodity to be bought and sold for profit. Each identified itself by bands or clans, and since chiefdom descended through lineage, each devised a system flexible enough to allow selection of the best person for the job. Both were clan societies which considered loyalty to the clan their first obligation. An Indian's insistence on vengeance for the killing of a member of his clan was perfectly understood by an 18th century Highlander with a similar custom. There were even parallels between their harvest ceremonies. Both cultures were primarily oral, with folklore and stories passed on to the children containing the distilled wisdom of their people. Finally, the deep wisdom and strength of character that each group has displayed over the centuries has allowed them to endure their calamities with dignity See more

Behind the scenes of filming Highland Dancers for our Wee Digital Ceilidh in our beautiful downtown la couple nights ago A big thanks to the Blue Bonnet Las...sies Ryan Joyce of Fergus Filming and Hanna Kelly for getting some extra special shots! Tune in August 7-9th to see the final product #TartanUp #WeeDigitalCeilidh

That's us on the cover! This month's issue of the Scottish Banner features a beautiful salute to all the Highland Games that have been cancelled this year plus ...a very moving tribute to Fergus Scottish Festival's Bill Thoms. If you haven't checked out the July issue yet, make sure you do! https://www.scottishbanner.com/ See more

After getting rained out yesterday, it was a great day for filming for our "Wee Digital Ceilidh" here in Fergus! Can't wait to show you August 7-9 at www.fergus...scottishfestival.com. Big thanks goes to Owen, Fraser, Steve, and Jamie for throwing; to Warren for organizing and to Fergus Filming for filming. #TartanUp #Heavy #HighlandGames #Scotlandwithouttheairfare See more

Announcement time We're excited to be hosting an online event in place of the #ScottishFestival this year! Our Wee Digital Ceilidh will highlight some of ou...r favourite events from festival weekend. Mark you calendars for August 7-9, 2020! More details will be announce over the next several weeks but know that you can expect music, dancing, heavy events, Scottish heritage and culture and much more! #TartanUp #ScotlandInCanada #ScotlandWithoutTheAirfare #ScotlandIsNow #DiscoverON

16 April 1746 - The Battle of Culloden

It is with heavy hearts that the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games announce the cancellation of the 2020 Festival and postponement of the 75th anniver...sary. The Board of Directors has been monitoring the COVID-19 developments over the past couple of months. We maintained spirited yet cautious optimism that we would be able to once again do what we do best host a world class Scottish Festival and Highland Games said David Radley, Board President. Our priority however is to encourage the ongoing recovery efforts due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and ensure that our guests, volunteers, competitors, performers, clans, sponsors, and community are safe and healthy so they can enjoy ‘Scotland without the Airfare’ for years to come. As such we have made the very difficult decision to cancel our 2020 Festival, he added. The Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games has enjoyed tremendous success since its inception by Alex Robertson in 1946 and is pleased to participate in the promotion, presentation, and preservation of Scottish culture through good-natured competition and heritage education. Although this was a tremendously difficult decision to make, the Festival is grateful to its volunteers, community partners, patrons, and supporters and thanks everyone for their support and understanding. Refunds will be issued for all tickets purchased including day and weekend passes, camping, concession, and clan purchases. Questions can be directed to [email protected]. At this time the Board is pleased to invite you to Tartan Up and join us, August 13 15th, 2021 for the Fergus Scottish Festival & Highland Games 75th Anniversary. We will be posting updates and details regarding ticket sales, camping sales and special announcements on our website, www.fergusscottishfestival.com

Highland Games and Celtic Events in Canada, March to June 2020

KILT SKATE 2020 Sat, 8 Feb 2020 Skate on the same ice as the Toronto Marlies and then watch them play! Noon - 6 pm @ Coca-Cola Coliseum, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON www.cassoc.ca

Burns and Scottish events for Jan & Feb 2020

Check out Events on www.cassoc.ca for a list of some Burns Events across Canada!

The Poppy Lady The red poppy is famous in many countries as a symbol of remembrance to commemorate those who have died in war but few people know the story of the woman who first gave the poppy this significance. Born on August 15, 1869, American professor and humanitarian Moina Michael -- who devoted her life to ensuring that war veterans were remembered -- established the memorial poppy leading to her nickname, the Poppy Lady. On November 9, 1918, Michael was on leave from ...her job as a professor at the University of Georgia and volunteering for the YMCA Overseas War Secretaries' headquarters in New York City when she first encountered John McCrae’s battlefield poem In Flanders Fields. In the Canadian soldier’s famous poem, he writes about the red poppies growing on the battlefield: In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses, row on row. Michael later described that she felt she was being called in person by the voices which have been silenced in death and immediately made a pledge to keep the faith. She penned a response We Shall Keep The Faith, in which she wrote the Torch and Poppy Red / We wear in honour of our dead and vowed to wear a red poppy on her heart as a symbol of remembrance who those who served in the war. That same day, she purchased 25 red silk poppies at a local department store with the support of delegates at the Twenty-fifth Conference of the Overseas YMCA War Secretaries. This marked the first sale of the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy and launched Michael on a mission to have the US adopt the red poppy as a national memorial symbol. Shortly thereafter with the end of the war, Michael returned to Georgia and began teaching a class of disabled serviceman. After seeing that many were in need of financial and occupational assistance, she realized that the sale of the silk poppies could be used to raise funds to help injured and disabled veterans. As a result of her efforts, the American Legion Auxiliary adopted the red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for war veterans. The symbol was adopted soon after by veterans' groups in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The legacy of Moina Michael, who became widely known as the Poppy Lady by the time of her death in 1944, lives on today. Red poppies are still sold in these nations and worn on Remembrance/Veterans Day or Memorial Day to raise funds for veterans' organizations and honour those who have served. Page Content Copyright A Mighty Girl (http://www.amightygirl.com)

Highland Games & Celtic Events, Fall 2019. Please go to our website, www.cassoc.ca, for the links.

Updated info re the 2019 SNAL Conference. There is also a questionnaire at https://scottishleadershipconference.com/questionnaire

Updated List - one more Games added.

Highland Games & Celtic Events from March to 15 June. If you know of others in Canada, send to [email protected]. Thank you.