why is the edinburgh tattoo called a tattoo

The Edinburgh Tattoo is called a “tattoo” because the word comes from a 17th‑century Dutch military term, not from body ink.

Quick Scoop

What “tattoo” originally meant

• The word comes from the Dutch phrase “doe den tap toe” , meaning “turn off the tap.”

• It was a command played by military drummers or trumpeters to tell tavern owners to stop serving beer so soldiers would go back to their quarters.

• Over time, this nightly signal turned into an evening military music and drill display, still called a “tattoo.”

How that became the Edinburgh Tattoo

• In the mid‑20th century, Edinburgh created a formal military show with bands, marching, and ceremonies on the Castle Esplanade.

• Because it was exactly this kind of evening military music-and-drill spectacle, it took the traditional name “Tattoo,” becoming the Edinburgh Military Tattoo (now The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo).

So, nothing to do with body tattoos

• Modern people often think of skin ink, but the event’s name comes entirely from old soldiers’ closing time and the musical signal that went with it, not from tattoo art.

In short: it’s called a “tattoo” because it’s a historic military music and drill show, named from the old Dutch command to shut off the beer taps.

TL;DR: The Edinburgh Tattoo gets its name from the Dutch “doe den tap toe” (“turn off the tap”), a nightly military signal that evolved into the term for a ceremonial evening show of music and marching.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.