Sunday September 7 was Red Hair Day, a celebration of those with natural red hair in the city of Breda in the Netherlands. You'd be surprised to know that no such day exists in Scotland, the native land of the redhead - or gingers, as they are affectionately known in Scotland. Perhaps it is so prevalent in Scotland that there is not so much need for a celebration as such. But redheads are often the subject of ridicule, none more so than in the UK, so a positive celebration of this rare gift of the ginger gene is long overdue. So, let's celebrate the titian-hued, strawberry-blonde, auburn, copper-topped, ginger-nuts of the world.

Roodharigendag is now in its fourth year and has just celebrated redheads with lectures, demonstrations and workshops for natural hair redheads (as opposed to naturally henna- coloured hair).

Less than 5% of the world's population has red hair, brought about by a recessive gene associated mainly with the fair-skinned of Northern Europe. Red heads thrive in a cooler climate due to this gene which makes their paler skin more sensitive to the sun and more likely to produce Vitamin D in climates with less sun. Up to 13% of Scotland's population has red hair and 35% carry the recessive gene which can skip a generation. Up to 10% of the population in both Ireland and Wales have the ginger gene DNA. Other populations in Northern Europe show this to a lesser degree. The largest population of redheads is in the USA but it is still only 2-6% of the population and redheads in America are often assumed to come from good Celtic stock. This could be perhaps why redheads are often stereotyped as fiesty and having a fiery temper. But I think that it's about time that Scotland stood up for ginger and to take a stand against those who ridicule this rare trait.