Press play and listen to the music as you read this post. This is what it sounded like!
We attended Strathardle’s 133rd annual Highland Games, in Kirkmichael. There were many things you could watch and listen to. The things I saw were Scottish dancers, pillow fights, round bale rolling, bagpipers marching with a band, heavy weight games, an obstacle course and tug o’ war.
I really enjoyed watching the Scottish dancing competition. The dancers wore colourful costumes and wore their hair in high buns. There was a bagpiper on stage who played all the music for the dances – he was amazing. I liked the dancing because I am a dancer and have a lot of fun watching and doing dances. Scottish dancing reminds of Irish dancing because there are also a lot of jumps and kicks.
The pillow fights were funny because the people sat on saw horses and tried to hit each other off. Whoever knocked off their opponent first, won the match. Mikhaila and I should have entered this match because we have had lots of practice and would have won!
Round bale rolling was fun to watch. There are two people on each team and there are about four or five teams who roll the round bale of hay to the end of the track to the pylon and try to get the bale around the pylon. Whichever team gets back to the starting lines first wins!
The bagpipers with their band marched around the outdoor arena while playing their instruments. The band was made up of children and adults, both girls and boys. I liked how the band dressed up and wore kilts!
Shortly after, Mikhaila and I, were chatting with some of the pipers who let us play their bagpipes. It is fun but harder than it looks.
Miss Trunchbull, the head mistress in Matilda was a champion at Hammer throwing. It is a heavy weight attached to a rope. The competitors spin around, let go of it and see where it lands. Whoever throws it the farthest, wins.
Caber toss is where each competitor has to lift a big log and throw it end over end as far as they can. I would never be able to lift such a heavy log!
Usually when my family and I play one round of tug o’ war, it last about 5 minutes. I think the tug o” war matches at the games were the longest I have ever seen. The first round was half an hour. They all just sat there hardly moving, but finally some action happened. The home team, (Strathardle) beat the Blackwater clan 3 matches to 2.
Most of the Scottish clans do their own Highland Games because they would like it to be a day to bring the clan together, meet new friends, make visitors feel welcome, to relax, but most of all, to have fun! At home, our family has a big picnic every year with fun games too. We should introduce the egg toss to the Highland games and the bagpipes to our family.
Comments
17 responses to “Strathardle Highland Gathering”
This looks like lots of fun.
Bev
Hi!
It was lots of fun, we really enjoyed it!
Hi Zoe
Well this blog tells us you had an amazing day at the games. What a lot of events you got to see. I am sure when you are wearing your Canada sweatshirts you have lots of people stopping to talk to you too. Good for you both trying the bagpipes – I know they are very difficult to play and you need lots of “air”. The weather looks like it is still co-operating for all of you.
Enjoy your next adventure. Love to everyone, Teta Doreen xoxo
Hi!
We had a lot of fun at the games! Have you ever played the bagpipes? You are right, you do need a lot of air to play them! I learned how to make them with a garbage bag, scissors, duct tape and two plastic recorders. They don’t sound exactly like bagpipes but here is a link! http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Bagpipes-out-of-a-Garbage-Bag-and-Reco/?ALLSTEPS
Loved listening to the music while reading your post on the Highland games!
Received your postcard (made me smile-more like a shout for joy) and can’t wait to share it with the class for our first Geography class.
Thank you!
Hi!
When is the first geography class? I cant wait for everyone to learn the things that I am learning! You should tell Verity to make one of the band instruments bagpipes!
Hi Zoe,
Thanks for your play-by-play report of the Highland Games. We didn’t visit Kirkmichael when we lived in Scotland but went to a number of Highland Games and Céilidhs. My sons Harrison and Parker had to learn Gaelic poetry in school – Robert Burns “Ode to a Mouse” http://www.robertburns.org.uk/Assets/Poems_Songs/toamouse.htm and “The Snaman” http://ednam.awardspace.com/nucleus3.23/media/2/primary5b_poems.pdf .. .you can probably find someone reading these online if you want to hear how the words sound … Gaelic doesn’t sound as you might guess from the letters.
… both boys (and mom & dad) can still recite a few lines…as well the boys learned Scottish Country Dancing which came in handy at the Céilidhs – although someone was always helping the new people learn the dances so it wasn’t too critical to have learned the dances before the Céilidh. At the end of a school family dance it was fun because all the parents, kids and teachers would hold hands in a circle and sing Auld Lang Syne – no matter what time of year – there were different dance moves you had to follow in the circle with your hands and moving the circle closer and further out. It definitely made for a feeling of family in the school. In our little town we also had a festival at the beginning of the summer. During the festival all the shops would hide something small in their window display …during the festival we would go around and try to find the hidden object…you would win a prize if you found them all … I think you and your sister would have loved this game…my sons always remember this game and how much fun it was. I hope you’re having fun in Scotland and will find it as memorable as we did.
Harriet (Kat’s friend)
Sorry …just a correction the poems my sons read were in “Broad Scots” not Gaelic … a bit more understandable because some words are regular English words but others are not.
Harriet
Hi!
Wow! I listed to the mouse one. Before I thought Shakespeare was hard but now I don’t know how anybody could learn how to speak like Robert Burns did. Do your sons still know how to speak like that? Thanks for sharing this I learned a lot.
Zoe, I loved your pictures, blog and the beautiful music! I like the idea of introducing bagpipes to our picnic. You will be able to give us 0ur first lesson! Love, Baba
Hi!
I will teach everyone how to play the bagpipes after I learn how! I am going to learn how to play them when we get back.
Hi, Zoe, Opa and I loved the posting, especially the photos. Looks like you are having a lot of fun, people are very friendly and that you all enjoyed every minute of it. I love to read about all the different customs, fairs, gatherings, etc. The music was nice to listen too. Our neighbour in the back plays the Back pipes in the Police Band, he practises every night, and we can hear him in the Summer play. I just love it. Gazillion XOXOXO’s
Hi!
It would be great to listen to him play. Maybe he could teach me?
Love,
Zoe:)
Using my mom’s account to respond…
Great to learn some new games to try out with your family. Love the pillow fights!
Teta Jill
Hi!
The pillow fights were so much fun! I can’t believe they could win prizes to do it!
Love,
Zoe:)
Zoe, thanks for including the lovely music. I really enjoyed it while reading about all the fun you had at these Highland Games. Maybe you can introduce us to music from all over the world as you continue your travels?
Hi!
Great Idea – we’ll share music as we travel. Thanks for the great idea!
Love,
Zoe:)