2023 Summit All Star Edinburgh

It’s the land of folk heroes William Wallace and Rob Roy, of Lowlands and Highlands, of ancient games and fictional Outlander characters. The landscape is ruggedly beautiful, and its people espouse everyday friendliness. This is Scotland, the most northerly part of the United Kingdom that also includes England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

But make no mistake, Scotland is uniquely different from its UK siblings. The brogue, the kilts, the castles and a hundred myriad things make Scotland, and its capital city, Edinburgh, unique.

Before one can appreciate how this incredible country and its second most populous city of Edinburgh with their combined culture and traditions came to be, let’s take a look back…way back!

The birth of Scotland can be traced to 10,000 BC known as the Paleolithic Era.This is the period of the earliest known occupation of man, most commonly known as the Stone Age. Hunter-gatherers pursued wild game and fish, while also collecting fruits, nuts, plants, roots and shells.

Fast forward to 3,000 BC, the Neolithic Age records the earliest prehistoric tools discovered in Scotland. The country was not only home to nomadic hunter-gatherers, but also to the first farmers who built permanent dwellings. The remains of domestic and ritual buildings from this time make up “The Heart of the Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.”

The Vikings were accomplished seamen at this point in history, and around 800 AD they began migrating from Norway and Denmark, crossing the treacherous North Sea to trade and settle in Scotland. While Vikings began to settle in the west, the Picts were forging a new kingdom; the Kingdom of Alba under one of the best-known Scottish kings, Macbeth, immortalized by William Shakespeare’s play of the same name.

Scotland became a feudal society of relative peace until it renewed its fight for independence in 1297 at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Edward I, England’s monarch feltthat he should be recognized as overlord of Scotland and engaged in some of the bloodiest sieges. Here, William Wallace earned his place in the history books when he and his fellow Scots forced the English army to retreat at the River Forth and Stirling Bridge.

Unrest continued into the 14^th century when Robert the Bruce took the throne and was crowned king. Fighting continued until 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn, where Robert the Bruce and his army defeated Edward II, a major turning point in his rule.

A letter written in Latin, signed by Scottish Barons and Nobles, was sent to Pope John XXII, declaring Scotland’s status as an independent sovereign state. Though its effect was largely symbolic, the powerful declaration remains an important document in Scottish history – many historians believe it inspired America’s founding fathers to write the United States Declaration of Independence.

The cultural, intellectual and artistic movement that took hold around Europe brought significant changes to Scotland; education, intellectual life, literature, art, architecture, music and politics all advanced in the late 15th century. But things would change dramatically between England and Scotland with the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots pitted against her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, and the reformation of the Protestant Church of England.

After nearly 19 years in captivity, and many plots against Elizabeth’s life, Mary was executed in 1567 at the age of 44.

James VI succeeded the throne at just 13 months old after Mary was forced to abdicate. When Elizabeth I died with no children, James VI succeeded to the English throne and became James VI & I – a historic move that’s now known as the Union of the Crowns. In 1707, the Act of Union brought Scotland even closer to Britain by creating a single Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain at the Palace of Westminster.

Outlander fans will certainly know about the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Although the fictional Jamie Fraser fought in it on TV screens, the skirmish was very real and was the final Jacobite uprising and the last battle fought on British soil. The Jacobites were no match for the Hanoverian army – the battle lasted just an hour and the Jacobite army was brutally crushed.

Shortly after the defeat came a period known as the Highland Clearances where English laws were introduced to ban clan chiefs from their rights of jurisdiction and tartan dress.

The ideas of philosophers living in Scotland during the Age of Enlightenment shaped the modern world. The intellectual movement sought to understand the natural world and the human mind and ranged across philosophy, chemistry, geology, engineering, technology, poetry, medicine, economics and history. Figures like Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, Adam Smith, Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott are still celebrated for their achievements.

During the 1800s, industrial advances and wealth accumulated from the tobacco, sugar and cotton trade brought about the dawn of urban Scotland at the turn of the 19^th century. The country shifted from rural to urban, and huge towns, massive factories and heavy industry took hold. Mining, shipbuilding and textiles were very important to Scotland’s development during this time.

Discovering the city of Edinburgh is a remarkable experience, and so it will be for our All-Star elite. This is a city of two souls. The ancient Old Town climbs up to Edinburgh Castle, towering over the Scottish capital atop an extinct volcano. This thousand-year-old fortress is the most besieged place in Great Britain – largely thanks to attacks from English soldiers, most frequently during the bitter Wars of Scottish Independence in the Middle Ages.

Edinburgh was not always the capital of Scotland, only becoming so in 1124 when King David I moved it from Dunfermline, a town near the Firth of Forth. Since then, Edinburgh has been attacked and occupied by the English on many occasions and its famed castle was often destroyed by the Scots themselves to prevent the English from using it.

After the plague, Edinburgh continued to grow in population. As the Old Town was becoming ever-more overcrowded in the 18^th century, a solution had to be found. Thus, a competition was held to design a New Town won by the young James Craig, who was only 22 at the time. The main streets became George Street, running from east to west, and two parallel streets, Princes Street, situated to the south, and Queen Street to the north. A grid was then created by linking the three main streets with others creating Charlotte Square at the west end and St. Andrews Square at the east end.

Scotland has been handing down its traditions for close to a thousand years now, since the earliest days of the clans in the 12^th century. However, Scottish traditions are not something sterile behind glass in a cold museum.

They are vibrant, living things, constantly growing and evolving, and every generation adds the thumbprint of its own particular Scottish culture to the whole. Take, for example, the Highland Games, an annual competition that is a unique Scottish mix of culture, sports, music and community.

Scotland’s Highland games are usually one-day events taking place in outdoor spaces across the country. Built around traditional Highland sports such as the caber toss (a large pole), tug o’ war, shot put and the hammer throw, a Highland games event also includes Highland dancing and music, and lots of family fun such as food, craft stalls and games.

And speaking of tradition, everybody knows the cliché of the piper on the shortbread tin. But have you experienced the breathtaking reality of a hundred pipers skirling in uplifting unison? This isn’t an image from Scotland’s cultural past: it happens every August at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, on Glasgow Green and at most Highland games.

Kilts originated from the versatile Great Kilts (aka FeileadhBeag, pronounced Fee-la Beg) of the 16^th century. Kilts of the 17^th and 18^th centuries were worn by Highlanders for practical reasons more than style.

For anyone of Scottish ancestry, the kilt is a symbol of honor for the clan to which they belong. First worn by those who lived in the Scottish Highlands, the kilt was a manner of dress that afforded the fighting army possibly its most useful tool. Prior to 1792, those who wanted to wear the kilt in the Lowlands or Britain had to join the British army. The reason was that because of the swift and competent movements of the Highland armies, the English were afraid that if they let anyone wear the kilt it would spark the idea of revolution.

The first written references to bagpipes in Scotland date back to the early 16th century when they were in use at clan gatherings, on military marches, to encourage charges, to accompany dancing (which kept clansmen fit and agile), and used to play touching laments at funerals, all mostly north of the Highland line.

How they arrived in Scotland remains a mystery but what is certain is that bagpipes have existed in various forms in many places around the world.

A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns (1759-1796) held each January 25, on his birthday. The author continues to be memorialized with a traditional dinner that features several courses of Scottish dishes and toasts.

The traditional Burns Supper, as well as Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve – more on this celebration to come in another installment) and St. Andrews Day celebrations are still very much a part of Scottish culture, but the Scots are now joined on these special days by Scots-at-heart across the globe. “Auld Lang Syne,” first written down by Burns and sung at nearly all traditional ceremonies, is the second most popular song in the world next to the rousing “Happy Birthday to You.”

The Spring equinox celebrates the time when night and day stand equal. The ancients historically marked March 20 as a day of rare balance for the Druids that roamed Scotland.

Many superstitions and traditions in Scotland are linked to Spring with some seasonal customs said to predict the health of families, livestock and crops for the year ahead. Just as Scottish ancestors celebrated Halloween or the intriguing history of Christmas in Scotland, during Spring many rituals were carried out in the interest of fortune telling or warding off evil.

There remains a tradition of excellence among our sales elite who accomplish much and earn their place at the summit. Persistence and even a bit of Scottish endurance during 2023 will surely help you to achieve your goals.

Fortan leat is Scottish Gaelic for a wish of fortune and encouragement, akin to our less formal “Good Luck!” Make 2023 your best year ever!

Next is Now and Now it’s Edinburgh!
April 2024