What kind of on-the-scene Highland observer would I be if I didn’t share our Highland Games with you? It is, after all, Games Day tomorrow as I write this article. It’ll be a day of the hammer throw, the caber toss, the Highland Fling and bagpipe-playing – and of course let’s not forget men in kilts!
Our village hosts the last “big” Games in the Highland Games season, so there is always keen interest from the athletes who go around the country, competing. Unless it’s blowing a gale (which it sometimes does), there’s usually a pretty good turn-out. Often the weather turns colder almost literally the day after Games Day, so it’s thought of as the last event of the summer, and everyone hopes for good weather and a great time. Many people who have moved away from the village make it a point to return for Games Day each year, so there are always happy reunions amidst the fun as well.
Besides the big Hill Race and “heavy events” there are, for all ages, track and field competitions, bagpipe and dancing competitions, a very spirited Tug O’War, and “novelty events” including, for the ladies, Haggis Hurling. For the record, they do mean ‘throw’ for ‘hurl’ in this context, though I’m sure the thought of haggis might make people consider “hurling” in another way. (I have tried haggis, and even enjoyed it – if I don’t think about it too much!)
The fair always comes to town, too, bringing with it thumping music and bright lights. The usual carnival rides growl, spin, flash and whirl off to one side, while in the main field there’s a large open space for the Games events.
One thing that rings out all day, soaring over the techno music and the crowd noise is the skirl of bagpipes. Whether accompanying the dancers, performing in competitions, or parading onto the field, their sound is ever-present on Games Day. The sheer volume of the combined pipe bands joined together in a march will blow your hair back. It gives me the chills, and it’s no wonder they were used in battles of old to scare the spleens out of the opposing side!
Food stalls are abundant, with anything from fresh strawberries and cream to venison burgers, but the most popular meeting place is the Whisky Tent. There’s lots of “good craic” to be had in the Whisky Tent. Pronounced “crack,” craic is banter, shared stories, laughter and maybe even a wee gossip. The more the whisky flows, the better the craic, I think! Things liven up even more in the evening at the Games Dance. We hear the music clearly up on the headland where we live – fortunately the bands are usually very good, and while they play well past midnight, it’s only once a year. For those who put months of effort into our Highland Games, it is a well-deserved chance to let loose and celebrate having pulled together another good event.
I like to go for the music and events, but for the people-watching and photo ops most of all. I have yet to venture into the Whisky Tent (too shy!) so I tend to wander a bit, snapping photos and taking it all in. One of my favorite things to see is the abundance of tiny kilted toddlers and babies. It doesn’t get any cuter than that!
Someone I once knew insisted that the men wear kilts all the time, here. Sheer nonsense, but she would not be swayed. “I was on the train there, once,” she said. “Right there next to me was…” (dramatic pause) “…a man in a kilt!” How a lone kilted man on a train equated to ALL of the men in Scotland wearing kilts as a matter of course, in her mind, I have no idea. They do wear kilts but if so, it’ll be for a special occasion. Men and boys wear them as comfortably as they wear their everyday attire, though, and Games Day is one day when you’ll see lots of kilts whipping around bare legs in the ever-present breeze. But I can say with hand on heart that it’s not the norm. So please don’t expect to see droves of Highlanders in kilts wandering through the dairy aisle at the grocery store, if you ever come to visit!
For myself, I’m enough of an old married lady at this point that I joke about the abundance of kilted hunkies on Games Day while not really giving them a second look. I do try to get photos each year, though, to send to some of my friends back home who are partial to men in kilts. It’s the least I can do!
And since many of you are perhaps asking the age-old question, “What does a Scotsman really wear under his kilt?” Well… I know what they say they wear (or don’t) *traditionally*… but on Games Day, propriety wins out. It is a family event, after all!
