Portal:Scotland/Selected article/Week 52, 2010

Scottish clans (from Gaelic clann, "progeny"), give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognized by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms. Each clan has its own tartan patterns, usually dating to the 19th century, and members of the clan may wear kilts, plaids, sashes, ties, scarves, or other items of clothing made of the appropriate tartan as a badge of membership and as a uniform where appropriate.

Clans generally identify with geographical areas originally controlled by the Chiefs, usually with an ancestral castle and clan gatherings form a regular part of the social scene. The most notable gathering of recent times was "The Gathering 2009" which included a "clan convention" in the Scottish parliament and was a complete success. The word clann in Scottish Gaelic can mean 'offspring, children, or descendants'. Each clan was a large group of people, theoretically an extended family, supposedly descended from one progenitor and all owing allegiance to the patriarchal clan chief. It also included a large group of loosely-related septs – related families - all of whom looked to the clan chief as their head and their protector.