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Maple Leaf Tartans Page

The Maple Leaf tartan is the official national tartan of Canada designated in 2011. The colours represent the four colours of the maple leaf through the seasons: green in summer, gold in early autumn, red at first frost and brown when the leaf has fallen.

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Maple Leaf Tartans

1 variations

Each tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress

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Maple Leaf

About tartan variations

Ancient
Modern
Weathered
Hunting
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if

Ancient Tartan

Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans. The pattern or sett remains the same across all variations of a single tartan, and only the shades or tones vary.

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Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.

Modern Tartan

Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans. Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.

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The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern

Weathered Tartan

Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer, more earthy colours typical of the Weathered tartans, reminiscent of bolder colours subjected to wind, rain and sunshine producing beautiful faded tones, olive greens and browns, and very light blues with reds that are more pink than red.

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Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.

Hunting Tartan

The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours. The Black Watch or Gunn tartans are examples of these, whereas a tartan such as the Fraser is predominantly red and would not provide much cover for men out hunting.

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One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.

One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if Tartan

The Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. The Scots do like to bend the rules and occasionally instead of white thread, yellow is used and this is where the rather wild MacLeod Dress Modern and Barclay Dress Modern came from.

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From the Start

Maple Leaf Tartan Origins & History

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How it all started

Today, the maple leaf is instantly recognized as the symbol of Canada. The maple leaf made a distinct impression on early settlers and was highly valued by the indigenous people living in eastern parts of Canada where the maple tree dominates much of the landscape. However, it wasn't until the 19th century that the maple leaf began to emerge as a symbol of national identity. The first use of the maple leaf as an emblem was by the French Canadian association, Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste during its formation in 1834. In the 1850s the maple leaf was introduced to the 1¢ coin and wider use of the emblem by military regiments, and sports teams continued to cement its place in Canadian culture. In 1921 King George V granted the official Royal Arms of Canada which feature a sprig of three green maple leaves on the shield and a red maple leaf on the crest so it was no surprise that many of the proposed flag designs submitted by Canadians in 1964 featured a maple leaf and that this became the centerpiece of Canada’s National Flag in 1956. The design chosen is a generic maple leaf representing the ten species of maple tree native to Canada.

What's in the tartan?

The colors found in the maple leaf tartan represent the four colors of the maple leaf through the seasons: green in summer, gold in early autumn, red at first frost, and brown when the leaf has fallen.

A National Symbol

Having been an unofficial national tartan for many years on March 9, 2011, the Maple Leaf Tartan was declared an official symbol of Canada.

"The Maple Leaf Tartan has been worn proudly and enjoyed by Canadians for decades, but has never been elevated to the level of an official symbol - until now. Our national symbols express our identity and define our history. The Maple Leaf Tartan represents the contributions that the more than four million Canadians of Scottish heritage continue to make to our country." The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

"Making the Maple Leaf Tartan an official symbol of Canada highlights the many significant contributions that people of Scottish heritage have made to the founding of Canada." The Honourable John Wallace, Senator (New Brunswick)

Creating the Maple Leaf Tartan

The Maple Leaf Tartan was created in 1964 by David Weiser in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of Confederation in 1967. A symbol of national pride, the tartan was designed to be worn by Canadians from all backgrounds – regardless of their ancestry – especially on national days like Canada Day on July 1st and Tartan Day on April 6th .

The Maple Leaf Forever

"The Maple Leaf Forever" was written by Alexander Muir in 1867 and became an unofficial anthem in English-speaking Canada, although it never became an official state anthem it was used as a de facto state anthem in many cases before O Canada was proclaimed the official national anthem on July 1, 1980. Muir was from Lesmahagow, Scotland but immigrated to Toronto In 1833, he joined The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada in 1860 and while serving with the regiment wrote The Maple Leaf Forever having been inspired to write the song by a large maple tree on his street in Toronto.

Royal Canadian Regiment Pipes and Drums Tartan

The Maple Leaf tartan is worn by the Royal Canadian Regiment Pipes and Drums. The Royal Canadian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army and The 2nd Battalion The Royal Canadian Regiment currently maintains the only Pipes and Drums in the Canadian regular army. The National Defence Headquarters has also approved its use by Canadian Forces pipers and drummers who do not have a specific regimental affiliation.