History
AN EXPLORATION IN THE HISTORY OF THE HIGHLAND GAMES:
The origin of games and sports is thought to pre-date recorded history. A common characteristic of sports is though to be the need to develop or imitate the skills necessary for survival - in the case of the Highland Games, this has been refined to preserve Scottish culture and tradition.
It is thought that King Malcolm III of Scotland started the Highland Games in the 11th Century; the king summoned contestents to the summit of a hill to take part in a tortuous race to find the fastest runner in Scotland to be his royal messanger. The king found his fastest runner that day, and also inadvertently started the tradition of the Highland Games. Today most Highland Games still hold a hill race to comemmorate the event.
During the various periods of English occupation of Scotland, from before the Wars of Independence to the suppression of the Jacobite uprisings, Scottish men were forbidden to wear tartan or train with arms - an attempt by the English to prevent any further trouble. The Scots flouted this law by holding Highland Games as a front to preserve their culture, as well as train for war.
It was Queen Victoria who took an interest in Scotland after her first visit there in 1842, when she famously bought Balmoral Castle and decorated it entirely in tartan. She is often accredited with soothing the anger over English rule and gave her royal approval for Highland Games to take place in 1848.
Today, Highland Games events are held throughout the year in Scotland and in countries around the world. The Cowal Highland Gathering is the largest Highland Games in Scotland and held in Dunoon every August, attracting around 3500 competitors and some 20,000 spectators from around the world.
In summary, The Games are a dazzling spectacle of bagpipes, bands, marches, dances, wrestling, caber tossing, stone throwing and various other exhibitions all wrapped up in a giddy whirl of music, tartan, food and festivity. Fantastic stuff!