Faith and belief

Scotland is extremely proud to be a multi-faith society – it’s part of what makes us such a vibrant, well-rounded country. We welcome people of all ethnic backgrounds and religions and we ensure people are free to follow their beliefs with respect.

Scotland is historically a Christian country and a large portion of the population still consider themselves Christian. Christmas and Easter are celebrated widely and used as the basis for school holiday timings in winter and spring. The second largest faith in Scotland is Islam and there are mosques or Islamic Centres in all major cities and towns across the country. The largest of these is the Glasgow Central Mosque which opened in 1984.

Though these two schools of belief dominate the religious spectrum in Scotland, many others also experience large groups of followers. For example, there have been communities of Sikhs in Scotland for over a century with gurdwaras in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Irvine. Glasgow is home to the first purpose-built Sikh temple in Scotland with a prayer room which holds up to 1000 people.

Scotland's Humanist community also plays an important role in the diversity of our country. Humanist weddings have been legally recognised as marriages in Scotland since 2005 and we remain the only part of the UK to recognise Humanist weddings as legal. In fact, since 2015, Humanist weddings have actually been the most popular form of marriage in Scotland. 

Scotland is also home to the largest Buddhist temple in Western Europe and has over 7000 people following the religion. Hindus make up a small but colourful minority in Scotland of around 5600. Major temples include the Hindu Temple of Scotland in Glasgow and the Edinburgh Hindu Mandir & Cultural Centre, although there are smaller communities across the country.

Whatever your belief, join us as we share and enjoy each other’s cultures with festivals and events throughout the year.

Find out more about Scotland's annual festivals

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