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Aberdeen Inside Guide
Section 2 - Cultural Aspects
2.1
History
2.2
The Language
2.3
Religion
2.4
Places of worship
2.5
Cultural Sensitivities
2.0
Cultural Aspects
2.1
History
Some important facts from Scottish
history:
> The Wars of
Independence (1297-1328)
When Scotland
fought against Edward I of England to establish her
independence. The main characters were William Wallace
and Robert the Bruce.
> Mary Queen of Scots and
the Scottish Reformation
Catholic Mary
(1542-1587) and her struggle to rule Scotland during the
reformation. She was eventually seen as a threat by her
cousin Queen Elizabeth I of England, imprisoned and
executed. John Knox was the main reformer of the
Scottish church.
> The Union of the Crowns
in 1603
When Elizabeth I
died she was without an heir. King James VI of Scotland
(son of Mary Queen of Scots) had the strongest claim to
the throne of England and became king of both nations.
Scotland maintained her own parliament during this time.
> The Union of
Parliaments in 1707
The parliaments
of Scotland and England joined and the concept of a
United Kingdom was born. When Elizabeth I died without
heir in 1603, King James VI of Scotland acceded to the
English throne becoming James VI of Scotland and James I
of England, uniting the two countries under one monarch.
Scotland, however remained largely autonomous with her
own parliament sitting in Edinburgh until 1707 when,
virtually bankrupt, she had little option but to abandon
self rule and unite with England under the Treaty of
Union. This gave England direct control over most of
Scotland's affairs, save her legal and education
systems.
After many
attempts to secure home rule
over the next few hundred years, in 1999
the Scottish people finally got their own Parliament. In
September 2004 the Parliament building at Holyrood,
Edinburgh was opened.
The Scottish
Parliament has the following areas of responsibility:
Health, Education, Training Policy, Local Government,
Social Work, Housing, Planning, Economic Development,
Tourism, Financial Assistance to Industry, Transport
(some aspects), Criminal and Civil law, Police and Fire
Services, Environment, National Heritage, Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry, Food Standards, Arts.
The Powers
retained by the Westminster Parliament are:
The constitution of the United Kingdom, UK foreign
policy, Defence and National Security, Civil Service,
The stability of the UK's Fiscal, Economic and Monetary
System, Protection and Control of Borders, Drug policy,
Energy, Transport Safety and Regulation, Social Security
and Administration, Employment Legislation, Abortion,
Broadcasting, Equal Opportunities, Common Markets for UK
goods and services.
At the time of
writing (May 07), Scotland has just gone to the Polls to
vote for a new First Minister for the Scottish
Parliament. Alex Salmond, a Scottish Nationalist MP won
by a narrow margin over the Labour candidate Jack
McConnell.
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2.2
The Language
There are two official languages in
Scotland: Gaelic and English. However, many people speak
Scots, which is not considered an official language
because it is non-standard. Scots was widely spoken
before the advent of English. It comes in a variety of
dialects including the local Aberdeen dialect, the
Doric.
Interestingly enough, the second
most commonly spoken language in Scotland is Farsi, due
to the large Pakistani communities who settled in the
Central Belt in the 1960s. The second most common
foreign language in Aberdeen city is currently Polish,
showing the considerable number of immigrants moving in
to the city from Eastern Europe. This is mirrored across
Scotland.
2.3
Religion
The main religion in Scotland is
Christianity, (50 %Protestant, 15% Catholic). The 2001
census showed that 67% of the Scottish population
reported having a religion and the most common faith was
Christianity. The largest church in Scotland is The
Church of Scotland (C of S). The C of S is a
Presbyterian church, governed by elders and you can read
more about its beliefs and practices on:
www.churchofscotland.org.uk
The oldest church in Scotland is
the Episcopal Church of Scotland. While the Church of
Scotland is governed by elders, the Episcopal Church is
governed by bishops. It is perhaps closer in practice to
the Church of England. For more information:
www.scotland.anglican.org
2.4
Places of worship
For information on churches in the
Aberdeen area click on the map of the diocese of
Aberdeen and Orkney; see website:
http://www.aberdeen.anglican.org/products.htm. One
such church frequented by Shell families is St Devenicks
Episcopal Church, North Deeside Road, Bieldside,
www.stdevenicks.org.uk
There are a great variety of
different churches, some with very traditional services
in which congregational participation is limited to
singing hymns and praying. Other churches are more
lively and informal. It is simply a case of shopping
around until you find one that suits your needs. Many
churches offer Sunday Schools for younger children, and
it is worth checking whether children can attend even if
their parents are not church members. Many churches run
youth clubs for older children.
Deeside Christian Fellowship,
Milltimber -
www.dcfchurch.com
International Baptist Church, Cults
-
www.ibcaberdeen.org
Gilcomston South Church, Union St,
Aberdeen - frequented by students and divinity lecturers
from Aberdeen University alike.
www.gilcomston.org
For a more vibrant approach there
is the Christian Outreach Centre on Bon Accord St,
www.findachurch.co.uk and type in Aberdeen. There is
a long list of Aberdeen churches including this one.
For information on the Catholic
Church in Scotland have a look at their official website
www.scmo.org .Go to links, then parish links for a
list of churches. There is a number of Catholic churches
in Aberdeen, that share the same deacon; they are:
There is also a mosque in
Aberdeen. Aberdeen Mosque, 164 Spital, Old Aberdeen
AB24 3JD Tel: +44 (0)1224 493764 or email:
haliluhalima@yahoo.com As it is the only
mosque in Aberdeen it is very busy. The Muslim community
in Aberdeen is very varied with a range of
nationalities: Malaysian, Bruneian, Lebanese, Jordanian
to name but a few. As well as working for multi national
companies such as Shell, many are students. The mosque
organises Arabic, Malaysian and Urdhu classes. If you
are traveling anywhere in the world
www.islamicfinder.org will help you to locate the
nearest mosque.
There is currently no Hindu temple
in Aberdeen. The Hindu Cultural Centre in Dundee, 10-12
Tay Street, Dundee, Tel: +44 (0)1382 669652, organizes
events throughout the year.
There is no Buddhist temple in the
North East. The Friends of the Western Buddhist (FWBO)
have various centres in Scotland. For an overview of
FWBO centres, groups and retreats in Scotland visit:
http://www.fwbo.org. The Aberdeen
Buddhist Group meets every week; their contact is Alan,
tel. +44 (0)1224 276 810.
There is a small Jewish community
in Aberdeen. They meet at the Jewish Synagogue, 74 Dee
St, Aberdeen Tel: +44 (0)1224 582135.For more
information on how to find a synagogue elsewhere try the
following website:
www.maven.co.il/synagogues
There is also a small group
following the Baha'i Faith at 190 Ruthrieston Circle,
Aberdeen, tel.+44 (0) 1224 571444.
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2.5
Cultural Sensitivities
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Punctuality
is very important in Scotland. Always arrive on time
for appointments.
-
Do not use the terms British
and English synonymously. They mean different things
The vast majority of Scots consider themselves first
and foremost Scots and then
British.
-
Do not
greet people with a kiss unless you know them well.
Shake hands on first meeting.
-
Do not jump
the queue (Queues are a very British matter
and are considered correct in all sorts of
situations like buying tickets, in a bank, at the
post office, even on the roads).
-
Do not ask
a stranger personal questions - particularly
relating to wealth.
-
Do not stand so close to a
person that you are almost standing on their toes.
They need their personal space to be comfortable.
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The Scots are egalitarian-
treat everyone with equal respect.
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Aberdeen cannot assume responsibility for errors in the
information included in this guide.
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