Growing up, heritage was never a thing we talked about. I was always curious as a kid… and I often asked questions, but the response I usually got was the non-answer of “we don’t really know.”
I eventually found out that my family has ties to one of the bloodiest feuds in American history. I’m speaking of none other than the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys.
Maybe you’ve heard of it. Maybe you haven’t. I’m pretty sure that it was briefly discussed in my middle school history class.
I never thought it was all that interesting… but one day I happened to notice that the History Channel was about to air a miniseries on the topic. Out of curiosity, I gave it a watch.
My, my… was it dramatic. Best friends turned to worst enemies… murder… betrayal… all the aspects of a great story. Go and give it a watch sometime if you’re bored.
Anyhow, I eventually did an Ancestry DNA test. Turns out I’ve got quite a bit of Scottish and Irish in me, which no one ever bothered mentioning before. And by gods, that gives me the right to wear a kilt.
Kilts are way more fascinating than a blood feud, right? There’s a whole style and aesthetic to them. You’ve got your casual kilts for everyday wear, but you’ve also got your dress kilts for formal events. Dress kilts require proper shoes that are unique to this style — you even lace them differently. And to top it all off? You get to tuck a boot knife — or rather, a “Sgian Dubh” — in your sock.
Naturally, I wore full Highland Dress for my wedding. It’s the most complicated ensemble that I’ve ever put on. Aside from the shoes, there’s a very particular style of jacket, shirt, pins, belt, sporran, and more.
I looked fancy.
Anyway, there’s not a lot of opportunities to wear a kilt, but festivals do sometimes provide a sufficient excuse.
Yep. There’s an Amazon affiliate link on this page. You guessed it. If you use that link to make a purchase, Amazon will pay me a tiny commission.
Aerik Arkadian 
Leave a comment