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Chase a Rainbow Day
"🎶 On the day I was born
Said my father to me
I’ve an elegant legacy waiting for thee
Tis a rhyme for your lips
And a song for your heart
To sing it whenever the world falls apart
Look, Look, Look to the rainbow
Follow it over the hill and stream
Look, look, look to the rainbow
Follow the fellow who follows a dream."
~ "Look to the Rainbow", Finian's Rainbow, 1947
If you’re lucky enough to spot a rainbow against a darkened sky, pause a moment and look carefully—because you may be able to witness something even more magical: the double rainbow.
This exquisite tartan was inspired by an unusually bright double rainbow seen over Arbroath by the designer, during a sunlit cloudburst. Its sett reflects the seven colours of the spectrum and includes Alexander’s Dark Band—named for Alexander of Aphrodisias, who first described the phenomenon around AD 200. A grey pivot suggests the secondary bow, while blue tones honor Scotland’s rivers and lochs.
A double rainbow forms when sunlight is reflected twice inside raindrops, sending two arcs back to your eyes at slightly different angles. The second bow appears higher, softer, and with its colors reversed—a quiet echo of the brighter primary arc below. Though this phenomenon is always happening somewhere, it only reveals itself when the geometry of light, rain, and background darkness align just right.
Across cultures, rainbows have long been seen as symbols of wonder, transformation, and connection. In Norse mythology, the rainbow appears as a radiant bridge—Bifröst—linking Midgard, the human world, to Asgard, the realm of the gods. Along this shimmering path, the gods could travel between worlds, and in the great tale of Ragnarök, it is said that these realms would one day merge.
So next time the rain begins to lift and the sky deepens behind you, you might just catch a fleeting glimpse of light’s hidden architecture and one of the wonders of the world! ❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 🖤 🌧️ 🌈 🌈
The term double rainbow is used when both a primary and secondary rainbow are visible. In theory, all rainbows are double rainbows, but since the secondary bow is always fainter than the primary, it may be too weak to spot in practice. In a double rainbow, a second arc is seen outside the primary arc, and has the order of its colours reversed, with red on the inner side of the arc. This is caused by the light being reflected twice on the inside of the droplet before leaving it.
This tartan by designer Steven Patrick Sim, employs the vivid hues of a double rainbow against a dark sky.
From the register notes:
This tartan was inspired by an unusually bright double rainbow which appeared over Arbroath on 9th May 2014. Designed to celebrate Scotland's skies the tartan pays tribute to the Scottish rains and sunlit rainbows. The sett reflects the seven colours of the spectrum and portrays Alexander's Dark Band, the optical phenomenon associated with rainbows and named after Alexander of Aphrodisias who first described it in 200 AD. The grey pivot represents the second bow. The blue, purple and grey pay tribute to the sky and to Scotland's streams, rivers and lochs. The tartan is intended for any individual or group wishing to be represented by a rainbow-themed tartan. Visit the registrant's website for the full rationale behind the design.
For more fascinating double rainbow facts, click the double rainbow captured in the Tweed Valley in the Scottish Borders by photographer Graham Riddell.