The 4th July and some funny questions I have been asked.

I have been lucky enough to spend the last two 4th July's in the USA with my fiance, unfortunately circumstances this year may mean that I can't manage, time will tell. But thinking back on the memories causes me to smile, and sometimes have a giggle at questions I have been asked as a Scottish visitor to the US of A. Here are some of the questions (honestly!! and I have been asked them more than once!):

Q    "Do you have 4th July where you are from?"
A     Yes, and we also have 5th July, 6th July,.......

Q    "Do you celebrate 4th July in Holland?"
A     Well, Independance Day is actually a celebration of the United States of America gaining their  independance from rule by Great Britain (of which Scotland, where I come from, is a part) so no, we don't celebrate 4th July and I'm pretty sure that Holland don't celebrate it either.

Q     "So Scotland is part of England right?"
A     ~silence~

Q     "Do you have hillbillies/rednecks in Scotland?"
A1    Yes, we call them Aberdonians.
A2    Yes, we call them 'neds'.
(note, I may have to change my answer to this after reading up on the origins of the terms 'hillbilly' and 'redneck', see two posts down for more info.)

Q    "Do you have Christmas in Scotland?"
A     When I stop laughing, I usually point out that Christmas is (or should be) a Christian celebration and that Christianity is an almost worldwide religion, so yes, we celebrate Christmas too.

Anyway, I hope that gave you a giggle. Here are some fantastic zazzle products that celebrate 4th July for you to browse:

Happy 4th of July	Happy 4th July	Puppy and Flag
Fife and Drum Corps	Sweeping American Flag T-Shirt	Baby's First 4th of July
4th of July Postage Stamps	Liberty Postage Stamp	Eagle 4th July Postage
Red, white and denim Invitation	Stars & Stripes Angel	4th of July Party Invitations

Rednecks were Scottish, interesting huh?

I was looking up Redneck 'stuff' for another website and decided to find out about the origins of the term. I was surprised to find that the (or one of the) earliest references to the name as it's present definition in American culture was from 1893 (1): "...poorer inhabitants of the rural districts...", yet there is evidence of a much earlier usage of the term in both Scottish and American history.

The term refers to the Scottish Covenanters of the 1600's, those whom opposed taking the Church of England as the official state church (the political union of Scotland with England did not occur until 1707 when the United Kingdom of Great Britain was formed, prior to this Scotland was an independent sovereign state). The Covenanters held that Scotland desired a Presbyterian church government and signed documents to that effect in the mid 1600's, often using their own blood to sign. Many Covenanters wore a piece of red cloth around their necks as a sign of their position and so the term Red Neck became slang for 'Scottish Dissenter'.

As the union with England became inevitable and executions without trial reigned, many Covenanters fled to Ireland and North America setting up new Presbyterian Churches where they settled. The Dictionary of American Regional English (1) shows the earliest American citation of the term Redneck's used as a name for Presbyterians is from 1830: "...the Presbyterians of Fayetteville [North Carolina]".

There is also a Scottish origin for the term Hillbilly, which I may come back to later in time.

(1)Frederic Gomes Cassidy & Joan Houston Hall, Dictionary of American Regional English, 2002, pg 531

Redneck Love by NateOwens

Presbyterian symbol by mcanderson76