Scotland, although a part of the UK, is different from all the other countries in the UK. This difference is evident in its history, music, food, religion, education, language and the Scottish way of life. This essay is aimed at pointing out this difference and relating it to the vast ethnic diversity of Nigeria.
There is evidence of human settlement in parts of present day Scotland that dates back to 6,000 BC. The first residents were hunters and fishermen. About two thousand years later, another group of people arrived -- the Neolithic people. There is still some evidence of their stone houses in Orkney. The Bronze age brought the Picts, who lived in the region north of the Firth of Forth, and the Celts, who had come to live in regions of Britain and Ireland further south. The Picts were known for their metal work used for hunting and in wars. Scotland (Alba or Alban) consisted of four different races. The Picts of Celtic, perhaps of Scythian stock, predominated lived from Caithness in the north to the Forth in the south. The Britons of Strathclyde stretched from the Clyde to the Solway and further south into Cumbria. The Teutonic Anglo-Saxons that later arrived, held the lands to the east south of the Forth into Northumbria and the kingdom of Dalriada, to the west, including present-day Argyll, (the land of the Gael). Kintyre and the neighbouring islands were occupied by the Scottish people from Northern Ireland in the third and fourth centuries. During this period, the Picts and Scots were always at war with themselves rather than fighting their enemies.
By the end of the seventh century, the four kingdoms of Alban were united in the Christian faith, but not much else. Even the constant raids of the Norsemen, that began in the eighth century leading to the conquest of Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles, Caithness and Sutherland, (where, the non-Celtic Pictish tongue was replaced by the Scandinavian Norn), could not unite the four kingdoms together.
Traditionally, the first step in founding the Scotland of today came in the year 843, when Kenneth MacAlpin, King of the Scots of Dal Riada, succeeded to the throne of the Picts, thus uniting those two peoples under a single monarchy. In the month of May, 1328 a peace treaty was signed in Northampton by the English king which recognised Scotland as an independent Kingdom and Robert Bruce as king. Scotland remained independent until 1603 This led to the opening of the house of parliament in 1999, after an absence of 299 years. It had very limited powers and all major decisions were made in England. Presently, there is a debate going which is about Scotland being independent from England.
Scotland has always been known to be a multi lingual country. The major languages before the introduction of English were; Scots and Gaelic. Gaelic is a Celtic language brought by the Celts to Scotland. Gaelic which was once the most popularly spoken language on Scotland is now spoken by only 1 per cent of Scottish people. The Scots language had different sub dialects spoken in different parts of Scotland. For example, the language of Northern and Central Scotland were different. This difference between the different parts of Scotland can be seen in words like the number one. It can be pronounced as wan, ane, een or yin. A little child is called a wean in the west and a bairn in the east. In Aberdeen a girl is called a quine and a boy a loon, but these words cannot be heard in other parts of the country.
Scotland is also known for its cultural and traditional festivals. There are festivals in different months of the year, some of which are very important and others of less importance. An example of an important and popular festival is the Edinburg International Festival founded in the year 1947 to celebrate Scottish art. Some other Scottish festivals are; the highland games, the Hogmanay festival, Fist footing, St Andrews day, St Valentine’s Day and so on. The traditional attire of the scots which is different from that of the other countries in the UK is the Kilt. The first kilts were known as 'Feileigh Mor' or 'Feile-breacan' which means ‘Great Kilt’. They were first seen in the 16th century.it is believed that the highlanders took off their kilts before going into battle. The kilts are made from tartans and are of different patterns in different families.
Scottish cuisine is very different from other parts of the UK and has had some foreign influence overtime. In prehistoric times, the sea provided man with fish, cockles, clams, oysters, limpets, mussels and prawns while the forests offered deer, wild boar and other game. Scotland is known to have one of the best larders in the world.
Scotland has one of the best natural larders in the world. It has never really been a secret. Prehistoric man knew it thousands of years ago. Having cleared the land, the first settlers reared domestic animals so as to add dairy, beef, pork and lamb to their diet. Crops like oats and beer, a primitive form of barley, made it possible to make bread and the first homebrew. Scottish cuisine has remained simple to prepare through the years emphasising on cooked meats, hearty broths and smoked fish dishes with nearly all ingredients gotten locally. A record of traditional Scottish food was compiled by the wife of an Edinburgh publisher and appeared originally in 1826. Examples of such traditional foods are; Arbroath smokie, Scottish beef, Scotch broth or hotchpotch and bannocks or oatcakes etc.
In addition to the original Scottish food, there has been some external influence in method of preparation of traditional foods. In the 16th century, the French cooks at Mary Queen of Scots court introduced new methods of preparing food and also introduced rich sauces. The French 'escalope' became the Scottish 'collop' and 'Hetoudeau'-a boiling fowl- became the Scottish 'Howtowdie. More ingredients and spices were brought back to Scotland by people from expeditions and voyages. Some examples are; lemons, coffee, potatoes, wheat flour, spices and precious tea and sugar.
The Scottish people are also known for their unique music which is made by the use of the bagpipes. The Scottish Bagpipes are said to date back to about 100 AD. Their origin is very uncertain, but the Highland bagpipe is the most familiar throughout the world. They became very popular in Scotland during the 15th century. Due to this, the English crown feared that the music of the bagpipes will stir the Scottish people to rebellion and forbade the playing of the bagpipes. Bagpipes are played by the men and traditionally passed down from father to son.
Unlike England which has the Church of England as its official church, the Church of Scotland is the Presbyterian Church. It is commonly known as "the Kirk," and has been Scotland's official religion since 1690. Other religions in Scotland are Catholic, Baptist, Anglican, and Methodist, as well as more modern evangelical sects.
Although a part of the UK, Scotland has its own legal system and system of education. For example, in criminal law, the English have just two verdicts in a trial; Guilty or not guilty while in Scotland there is also 'Not Proven'. In the educational system, Scottish secondary schools emphasise on breathe across a range of subjects unlike other countries of the UK which have less subjects. Their universities tend to generally have courses a year longer than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK.
Nigeria like the UK is a nation with diverse ethnic groups. Nigeria consists of about 300 ethnic groups of which Hausa- Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba are the largest and over 500 spoken languages. Some other minor ethnic groups are; Ijaw, Efik/Ibibio, Edo, Urhobo/Isoko, Ekoi, Kanuri, Tiv, etc. These ethnic groups have their different traditional customs, beliefs and festivals. For example, the Igbos celebrates the new yam festival after every harvest of yams. There is the Arugungu fishing festival by the Hausas-Fulani’s and the Olokun festivals of the Yoruba’s. Each ethnic group also has its own marriage customs but all frown at divorce.

In conclusion, it is evident that Scotland though a part of the UK is very different and also proud of its identity. This is proven by the recent move of the Scottish people for total independence from England.
References:
http://www.mapsofworld.com/nigeria/culture/language.html (viewed on the 09/12/2012). http://www.strathearn.com/ge/history1b.htm (viewed on the 08/12/2012). http://www.squidoo.com/scottishwords (viewed on the 08/12/2012). http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/multilingual/scots_gaelic_history.shtml#A (viewed on the 03/12/2012). http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Scotland.html#b (viewed on the 04/12/2012). http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Scotland.html#b(viewed on the 06/12/2012).