Scottish clans (frae Scots Gaelicclann, "childer"), gie a sense o identity an shared strynd tae fowk in Scotland an tae thair kinfowk ootower the warld, wi a formal structur o Clan Chiefs acknawledged bi the coort o the Lord Lyon, King o Arms that acts as an authority anent maitters o heraldry an Coat o Arms. Each clan haes its ain tartan patterns, uisually datin frae the 19t century, an memmers o the clan can weir kilts, plaids, sashes, ties, scarves, or ither claes makkit o the appropriate tartan as a seembol o memmership an as a uniform.
Clans generally identify wi geografical airts, oreeginally controlled bi the Chiefs, aften wi an ancestral castle an clan gatherins formin a raigular pairt o social acteevities. The maist kenspeckle recent-like gaitherin wis "The Gathering 2009" that includit a "clan convention" in Halyruid Pairk.
