Steele Robbins V sat on a downtown curb Sunday morning, his hands cupped over his ears.
The 4-year-old tried to muffle the rat-a-tat-tat of snare drums and the boom-boom of the bass drum pounding out rhythm for the Wolf River Pipes and Drums Corps of Memphis, Tenn. as they marched down Main Street and stopped in front of the First Presbyterian Church.
Greenwood Presbyterians and a host of other visitors celebrated their Scottish heritage Sunday at the annual Kirkin' O' the Tartans.
The 30-minute concert brought folks out in their lawn chairs to enjoy the Celtic music, reminiscent of the sounds that once echoed across the moors of Scotland.
Then, the processional into the church.
Men wore kilts or had pinned to their shoulders a tartan in family colors. Some, like Rocky Powers, had the tartan and the tie to match.
Some women wore their tartans as scarves or pinned to their shoulders. Jan Sturdivant wore a skirt cut from family cloth.
A few children carried their families' tartans to the altar for the blessing.
The annual blessing dates back to 1746 after the English defeated Prince Charles' forces at the Battle of Colloden. Scottish people were forbidden to wear tartans and play bagpipes for years.
Being caught meant death.
But Scottish people hid pieces of tartans under their clothing when they went to church. At a certain time during the service, they'd touch the hidden cloth, and the minister would offer a blessing.
Dr. James Simpson, a native of Motherwell, Scotland, and a pastor of Northminster Presbyterian Church in Roswell, Ga., spoke to the congregation during the worship service about the significance of belonging to the larger family of Jesus. The Wolf River musicians played a stirring rendition of "Amazing Grace" before the service ended.
The crowd spilled out of the church, and most gathered across the street in Shuler Hall, where they dined on grilled chicken, potato salad and baked beans.
Celtic musicians Joel Kasserman and The Reel McCoys from Memphis took the stage and provided toe-tapping music.
