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In World terms the British Isles are
tiny, but each country within Great Britain has a distinct national identity which sets
itself apart from the others. England has its Morris Dancing, the
Welsh are renowned for their love of singing, particularly male voice choirs and Scotland
has it's Highland Games, dancing, tartan and the Kilt which gives Scotland and
particularly the Highlands a vision which is as distinctive as anywhere in the World.
 Highland Games
Traditional Scottish outdoor
gathering that includes tossing the caber, putting the shot, track events, hammer throwing, weight
throwing, dancing, and bagpipe playing.
The most celebrated is the Braemar Gathering, held annually in Aug. Highland Games are
held in Scotland from the end of May to the middle of September every year, attracting
crowds from several hundred to over ten thousand at some of the larger Games.
Whether they be large or small, the ceremony surrounding the games are always
spectacular. Games such as those at Tobermory on the Island
of Mull in the Inner Hebrides are preceded by marching bands in full Highland Dress.
Putting the
Shot is probably the oldest of the heavyweight sports, putting an iron
sphere of 16 or 22lbs. Originally, a smooth stone from the river bed was used. Each
different Gathering had its own such stone which might vary in weight between 13lbs and
28lbs.
Tossing the
Caber is easily the most recognisable trademark of Scottish Highland games
and is one of the most spectacular of the heavy events. The origins of caber tossing are
unknown although it has been suggested that it was developed by foresters for throwing
tree trunks into the river. It would be difficult to devise a more physically demanding
method of moving felled timber and the more likely explanation is that it was a sport
amongst foresters that became part of the traditional Highland Gathering events. The
dimensions of a caber - or cabar in Gaelic - can vary enormously but the norm
weighs about 150lbs (68kgs), is 18 feet (5.5m) long and about 9 inches (23cms) thick at
one end, tapering to about 5 inches (l3cms) at the other.
Games organisers strive for consistency in the weight of their caber and because timber
dries out and becomes lighter, they will often soak the caber in a convenient loch for
some days before their annual games or, bore holes in it and fill them wit molten lead!
Contrary to popular belief, the caber is not thrown for distance but for style.
Throwing
the Weight is divided into
two different events: a 28lb weight for distance or 56lbs for height.
For Distance
Said to be one of the most graceful of heavyweight events. There are two standard weights
- the commonest being 28lbs (12.7kgs). The weight consists of a 28lb ball, chain and
handle, the overall length of which must not exceed 18 inches (0. 45m).
In simple terms the thrower grasps the weight in one hand, spins round and throws it as
far as possible. More accurately, the thrower has a distance of nine feet (2.7m) between a
peg and a trig. Grasping the weight and facing the trig, he stands beside that peg and
swings the weight to the side and then round behind him. He's now ready to start his throw
which consists of three waltzing turns, gathering momentum on each. On the third pirouette
and at exactly the right moment, he heaves the weight as far as he can. A protective cage
extends around the sides and rear of the thrower to safeguard the public!
In some amateur games, throwers will use both hands to hold the weight but that is the
method used for the Olympic hammer and not the Scots 28lb weight.
For Height
For this event the commonest weight is a standard commercial 56Ib (24.5kgs) box weight
with a ring attached. As in the high jump, a bar is raised between two posts and each
contestant has up to three attempts at each height to which the bar is raised.
Many heavyweights seem to pride themselves in the apparently nonchalant way that they
approach this event: frequently the entrant will saunter up to the weight - which is lying
underneath the bar - and without even a glance upwards will suddenly heave the weight up
with one hand where it soars through the air and thuds back down into the ground only
inches from the thrower.
The air of nonchalance is very deceptive however since the strength and skill needed are
enormous.
Throwing
the Hammer with an iron sphere weighting either 16 or 22lbs on a bamboo
shaft. The origins of throwing the hammer have never been in doubt. Wherever hammers were
used - blacksmiths, quarries or farms - a diversionary pastime would be throwing the
utilitarian wooden-shafted sledgehammer. Throwers used to gain great momentum - and
distance - by turning the body rapidly to build up speed before releasing the hammer.
Instances were very common of throwers losing their grip on the shaft or of releasing it a
little too late with the hammer flying over or, even worse into the crowds. This soon
brought about a ban on that method!
Highland
Dancing the very essence of
Scotland with bagpipes accompanying a kilted dancer! No event at Highland games
encompasses such verve, enthusiasm and colour as Highland Dancing and what better sight
and sound can there be that encapsulates the very essence of Scotland than the bagpipes
accompanying a kilted dancer, swaying and pirouetting to traditional airs!
Highland Dancing is regarded as being one of the most sophisticated forms of national
dancing in the world and whilst it is almost impossible for dance historians to separate
fact from fiction when researching the more popular Scottish dances, the following
explanations have gained great currency, probably because they are imaginative and
picturesque stories.
Traditionally, dancing competitions included just four standard dances - The Sword
Dance, The Seann Triubhas, The Reel of Tulloch and The Highland Fling, but in
1986 a couple of imports were added to the repertoire - The Sailor's Hornpipe and The
Irish Jig.
The Sword Dance
Gille Calum or Gille Chaluim.
Said to have originated in 1054 when King Malcolm Canmore clashed in battle near Dunsinane
with one of Macbeth's chiefs. Having slain his opponent, Malcolm crossed his claymore with
that of his opponent to make the sign of the cross and danced in exultation over them.
After this time, it is said, clansmen would cross their swords prior to battle and if they
could complete the war dance without touching the swords, it signified that they would be
the victors.
The Sean Triubhas
Said to reflect the highlander's desire to shake off the hated Sassenach trousers
that Scots were forced to wear when the kilt was prohibited after the 1745 rebellion. The
dance is performed in the then much-hated triubhas (pronounced trews) and the slow
tempo shows the dancer's disgust. The quicker steps show either the dancer's attempts to
shake off the offending garment, or the pleasure at the rescinding of the ban in 1782. The
very great French influence on Scottish culture is shown by the embellishments such as
pirouettes and the final French-style entrechat.
The Reel of Tulloch
Originated in the north east village of Tulloch one winter morning long ago when the
minister was late in arriving. The assembled congregation waiting outside the church
doors, stamped their feet and clapped their hands to keep warm and as someone began to
whistle a Highland air, the movements developed into a lively dance.
The Highland Fling
Together with the Sword Dance, the Highland Fling is probably the most famous of Scottish
dances. Thought to have originated in about 1790, legend has it that an old shepherd was
giving chanter lessons to his grandson on a hillside when he saw a stag rearing and
wheeling in the near distance. He asked the boy if he could imitate the stag's dance which
he did, and hence the steps and the graceful curve of the arms and hands depicting the
stag's antlers. The dance is performed on the same spot throughout and this is held to be
because the clansmen of old danced it on their targe (leather-covered, studded shield).
Another more prosaic explanation is that the dance evolved as a solo performance of the
reel.
 The Great
Highland Bagpipes -
competitions of solo piping and of the large Pipe Bands. The great masters of the bagpipes
can make the pipes convey nearly every human emotion, as though the pipes themselves were
speaking. Indeed it was at one time widely believed that the masters actually made the
pipes talk, and within Iiving memory in the more remote parts of the Western Isles, this
view was accepted. This centuries old belief can be traced to the fact that in the 16th
& 17th centuries, the pipers took over the duties of the harpists. It was the piper's
duty to compose music to commemorate every important occasion and we have music handed
down to us which ranges from the mournful to the exultant. Some love the wild marches
which conjure up the march of the clansmen as they stride to battle, others prefer a gay
air, probably written in honour of a famous wedding. You may hate the mournful wail of a
lament for a fallen chieftain but whatever your reaction to the different types of music
it is most unlikely that the strains of the great Highland bagpipe will leave you
indifferent."
David Webster in his book Scottish Highland Games. Visitors to Highland Gatherings will
invariably see and hear two types of competition piping - solo piping and that of the
large Pipe Bands.
Track
Events - Running, Cycling,
Jumping and Tug-o-War.
Highland
Dress
 There is nothing more
impressive than full Highland Dress. it is something that typifies the true spirit of
Scotland. There are many different forms from daily wear to military dress and evening
wear. All though, look exceedingly smart and though many Englishmen will mock a Scotsman
wearing a kilt and claim it to be a skirt, if they were honest, they'd admit that there is
a large amount of envy in the pride and smartness that is, Highland Dress.
Tartan
 Woollen cloth woven
in specific chequered patterns individual to Scottish clans, with stripes of different
widths and colours crisscrossing on a coloured background; it is used in making skirts,
kilts, trousers, and other articles of clothing.
Developed in the 17th century, tartan was banned after the 1745 Jacobite rebellion, and
not legalized again until 1782.
History of the Tartan
The ancient method of describing tartan was to refer to it as mottled, checkered,
stripped, sundrie coloured, marled and so on, and it is aptly descriptive of the check
like arrangement of tartan patterns. When we refer to a set of tartan we mean the pattern,
and a length of tartan is made up of one set repeated over and over again until the
desired length is made. For many centuries tartan formed part of the everyday garb of the
Highland people and while it was also worn in other parts of Scotland it was in the
Highlands that its use continued and developed until it became recognised as a symbol of
Clan kinship. It is believed that the tartans used several centuries ago were simple
checks of two or three colours and that these colours were obtained from the dye-producing
plants, roots, berries, and trees found in the districts where the cloth was woven. These
simple checks were district tartans and were worn by the people of the district where they
were made. As the people inhabiting a district were generally members of the same Clan,
their district tartan was, in effect, a Clan tartan.
Weavers took great pains to give exact patterns to tartan by having the number and
colour of every thread upon a piece of wood. It is well known that these Maide dalbh or
pattern sticks served as guides for the weavers in making their tartans - the people of
each district could be identified by the pattern of their tartan. When chemical dyes came
into use weavers were able to enlarge their range of colours and more elaborate patterns
were introduced. As time passed branches of the larger Clans evolved tartans of their own
by adding an overstripe or other variation to the basic tartan of their parent Clan.
In 1572 a housewife gave coloured wool to a weaver to make into cloth. In suing him
before the magistrates she accused him of making the pattern according to his "awin
fasoun" (own fashion) and not according to her instructions. She won her case and the
weaver was punished; by her action she has proved that Highland housewives were not
prepared to accept, without question, whatever patterns weavers provided. this is some
proof against some peoples belief that tartans of any colour were worn by anyone in the
Highlands.
After the battle of Culloden in 1746 the government, in an endeavour to purge the
Highlands of unlawful elements, passed an act of Parliament whereby the Highlander was
disarmed and the wearing of tartan made a penal offense. This act was rigorously enforced
and the anxiety of the government to abolish tartan and the Highland dress suggest that
they held more than sentimental meaning for the Highland people.
Clan Tartans
These are tartans for general use by clans people. It is not uncommon to find a Clan
tartan of recent origin described as 'Ancient clan Tartan'. The use of the word ancient is
most misleading, and is merely an indication that the tartan has been woven in lighter
coloured shades.
Dress Tartans
These were originally worn by the ladies of the clan who preferred lighter coloured
patterns. They had a white background and were variations of the Clan pattern.
Mourning Tartans
These were at one time worn for the purpose of which they were named. They were
generally of black and white.
Hunting Tartans
These were worn for sport and outdoor activities. Brown or some other dark hue is the
predominant colour.
Chiefs Tartan
This tartan was only worn by the chief and his immediate family.
tartan - old term - any checkered or striped cloth, usually woven in
wool or silk. Tartan in a broad sense is a most period fabric. There are three types of
specific tartans:
district - a tartan woven in a particular pattern or color, associated
with a specific region. EX: Lennox.
regimental - a specific tartan associated with a military group. EX:
Black Watch.
clan tartan - a specific tartan associated with a distinct family
name. EX: Fergusson. People with this name, and their descendants, are specially entitled
to wear this tartan, but their are no formal restrictions.
Queen Elizabeth II and her family have their own tartan (Balmoral, a district one) that
can be worn only by Her permission.
plaid (rhymes with had) - modem term - a checkered or striped fabric.
Today, if we are speaking of a distinct checkered cloth, we use the term tartan; if we say
plaid, we are referring to any random pattern of checked fabric.
plaid (rhymes with maid) - From the Gaelic word plaide, a word which
simply meant blanket or big covering. It usually referred to a large piece of wool cloth,
which may or may not have been tartan, that was worn as a cloak or wrapped around the body
and belted at the waist. This was a forerunner of the modern, 18th century kilt that is so
familiar today.
sash - Women do not wear kilts; they wear pleated skirts of their
family tartan, accompanied by a sash. This long narrow piece of cloth is worn pinned at
the shoulder, draping gracefully down the back. Probably, it evolved from women wearing
tartan cloaks.
sett - The specific number of threads in a tartan, and their colors.
breacan - Gaelic word for tartan.
Bagpipes
 The bagpipe is a musical
instrument having reed pipes that are actuated by air pressure from a windbag to which the
pipes are attached. The melody is played on one pipe (the chanter) or two (the double
chanter) having fingerholes. Most chanters have a melodic range limited to one octave, or
at most a ninth, although in some highly developed instruments, keys are used to extend
the range. The other pipes- up to six- are called drones; usually rested on the shoulder,
they play one sustained tone each and furnish the accompaniment.
Examples include the old French musette, Scottish and Irish pipes, smaller Northumbrian
pipes, Breton biniou, Spanish gaita, and numerous variants in Eastern Europe, the Middle
East, and North Africa. The Highland bagpipes are the national instrument of Scotland.
 Sporran
A pouch, usually covered with fur, hair etc., worn by Scottish Highlanders in front of the
kilt.
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