A Royal Concert for a Noble Cause

Marching bands, heart-stirringbagpipe music and young daredevils on motorcycles are in store at the 67th Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in August. ''Tattoo'' means a military performance and comes from the 1600s, when drummers from garrisons stationed in the Netherlands played in the streets nightly, reminding soldiers to return to their barracks. Innkeepers then cried ''Doe den tap toe'' — a Dutch phrase meaning ''Turn off the taps'' — to signal closing time.

Expected to sell out for its 18th successive season, the Tattoo in Scotland's capital is an annual showcase of traditional Scottish culture, held at the 12th-century Edinburgh Castle. This year, performers hailing from Europe, the Middle East, North America, and New Zealand will be among the 1,200 entertainers. A third of the 220,000 annual spectators also come from overseas, and an additional 100 million viewers catch the event on television. The main theme varies from year to year, and 2016's ''Tunes of Glory'' will honor Queen Elizabeth II for her 90th birthday.

Begun after World War II to lift people's spirits, the Tattoo continues to do good. Besides conveying an estimated £77 million to the nation's economy, the nonprofit organization has donated £8 million to charities to date.

愛丁堡軍樂節──獻予貴族的音樂盛會

軍樂隊伍、撼動人心的風笛奏樂，以及蠻勇氣盛的年輕摩托車騎士們，已準備好在八月第 67 屆的愛丁堡軍樂節登場。「Tattoo」是一種源自十七世紀的軍隊表演，當時駐紮在荷蘭的軍隊鼓手，晚上會在街上打鼓提醒士兵返回軍營。旅店老闆接著大喊「Doe den tap toe」──荷蘭話表示「關上水龍頭」──示意軍營關閉的時間。
於蘇格蘭首府登場的軍樂節，門票預期將連續第十八年售罄，此節慶是一年一度展現傳統蘇格蘭文化的絕佳機會，舉辦地點在十二世紀的愛丁堡城堡。今年，有來自歐洲、中東、北美洲和紐西蘭的 1,200 名表演者。現場 22 萬名的觀眾，也有三分之一來自海外，還有超過一億名觀眾在電視機前收看表演。節目主題逐年變更，而 2016 年的主題「榮耀曲調」是為了向九十歲大壽的英國女王伊莉莎白二世致敬。
為提振人民士氣而於二戰後開始的 Tattoo 組織，為善的腳步未曾停歇。除了為國家經濟貢獻約 7,700 萬英鎊，這個非營利組織至今已捐出八百萬英鎊給慈善機構。