Highland Games: A Scottish Tradition

With the Olympic fever increasing and is the hottest trending topic on the social media hemisphere, slowly developing ground is the biggest annual Highland games in Scotland, the Cowal Highland Gathering that happens every last week of August. With Scottish guests maintaining the heated momentum yearly, they have kept alive the Scottish tradition of song, dance, merriment and friendly competition.
With its gathering of athletes to compete in different Scottish sports and well-prepared throughout the year, it was believed to have impelled the Baron Pierre de Coubertin to bring back the Olympic Games in 1889 as he saw the Highland games getting exhibited at the Paris Exhibition. You could almost imagine the famed Baron being gripped with inspiration as he saw the all these textures that comprise Scotland: the bagpipes, the wearing of men’s kilt and most specially the maleness of the games.
History
But what is the Highland game? And how did it turned out to be?
Legend says that in the 11th century, King Malcolm III of Scotland came up with a game of foot race up to the apex of Craig Choinnich. His objective really was to search for the fastest athlete in Scotland to become his regal messenger. This extremely charged competition with the recognition of becoming the King’s most trusted when it came to his messages was what was said to have triggered the succeeding Highland games.
This story is in fact replete with everything Scottish and is a good base for fictional works. Scottish men in kilts who are passionately vying to be royal messenger and let’s throw in the princess’ hand, as well as sorcery, mythological beings, the song, dance and heavy drinking amongst the foggy atmosphere of the mountain ranges.
Heavy Events
Even with the bagpipes and men in kilts, Highland games are really everything about the games. Called Heavy Events, these are the popular games being organised every year that are the highlights of the celebration.
Caber Toss-aiming for a perfect 12 or that straight line of the hands after they strike 12 o’ clock, a log or a tall, narrowing pine rod is held at the slimmest end and thrown the other way up that the bigger end is what would hit the ground. This is the most popular game in the event. The guys not merely should be large enough to carry the huge caber, however they have to be wearing kilts as well.
Stone Put- with Highland games influencing the revival of Olympics, this stone put also has Olympic inspirations from the shot put. But instead of the steel shot, a sizable stone is instead thrown. The stone with the most range is announced the champion.
Scottish Hammer Throw-as against the modern day hammer throw in track and field tournaments, the Scot’s variation includes a metal ball for head. Hammer throw is a lot like stone put except on this occasion a heavy hammer is thrown in a distance in a rotating fashion and without leaving your spot.
Maide Leisg- a Scot Gaelic term which means lazy stick, it’s a lot like tug-of war except this time the guys are seated with their sole pressed together. They tug at one another and the loser is the one who is lifted from the ground.
So put on your men’s kilt, play some bagpipe tunes and let’s play some Highland games with a start off quote from the film Highlander, “There can be only one.”