VALDOSTA — Trinity Presbyterian Church will bless the Scottish Tartan later this month in what has become an annual service of kilts and bagpipes.

The Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan service translates into the churching of the tartan, said Richard Hart, Trinity Presbyterian pastor.

“Scottish family clans are represented by unique Tartans — woolen plaid material,” Hart said. “Several tartan banners are processed during the service, symbolically representing all the families present, with appeals to God for his blessing of all families. The Scottish word for church is ‘kirk.’ Thus, a kirking is a service in the church with this purpose.

“Traditional Scottish bagpipes accompany the Tartans in the processional. Prayers and hymns are used from Presbyterian history to punctuate the ceremony.”

The ceremony is also part of the 500th anniversary observation of the Reformation marking the beginning of the Protestant church.

Trinity encourages the men to wear kilts and invites women to wear Tartan accents or accessories, Hart said.

The service will feature Paul Guilbeau playing bagpipes. 

John-Alan Gourdine, church director of music, will lead song selections.

Following the service, the Trinity congregation meets for a luncheon in the Fellowship Hall.

A few centuries ago, the English prohibited the Scots from wearing Tartans, a detail that many folks know because of movies, such as “Braveheart,” and modern traditions, such as the “Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan,” where the story goes that Scots sneaked swatches of Tartan fabric into their churches to secretly celebrate their heritage.

Much of the true story of Tartans is lost in the legends of films and these modern celebrations. The English ban on Tartans outlawed Scotland’s common folk from wearing the colors; however, Scottish nobility were permitted to wear Tartans.

Also, Scots caught with their Tartans were punished but they were not executed as popular myth has claimed. The ban on Tartans was lifted in the late 1800s.

“Trinity holds this celebration every year on Reformation Sunday, the last Sunday of October,” Hart said. “As such, it is a recognition of our connection to the Protestant Reformation in Christianity generally, and specifically to the reformation in Scotland led by John Knox. These are the foundational roots of Presbyterianism.”

Trinity began its kirkin’ tradition in the years after its founding in 1985, the pastor said, “following the practices initiated by the late Dr. Peter Marshall, pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., and chaplain of the U.S. Senate.”

Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3501 Bemiss Road, observes the Scottish “Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan,” 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. Worship will include excerpts from traditional Scottish liturgy as well as hymns from the Scottish Psalter. A fellowship meal will follow the service in the Fellowship Hall. The public is invited to attend. Child care is available for young children.