Tartan is the identity of Scotland used for hundreds of years that remain until this day. It is a particular piece of clothing consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical patterns that were associated with many of the different clans or families, throughout Scotland. Traditionally, each of these clans had their own pattern or colours to differentiate from one another. These clans include family and loyal members all sharing a surname, such as MacKinnon. Your clan name determined the tartan you would proudly wear to show where your loyalty belongs.
Nowadays, tartans are universally worn by anyone and have significance unrelated to clans. There are many different tartans that commemorate geographical locations, significant events, specific people etc. Anyone can register their own tartan!