Highland Games, Music and Dance

The Highland Games Highland games are events held throughout the year in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritageScotland Celtic The Cowal Highland Gathering, is the largest Highland games in Scotland, attracting around 3,500 competitorsCowal Highland Gathering

The History of the Highland Games The Origin of the Highland games was in the 11th century when King Malcolm set up a race to find the fastest runner in the land to be his Royal Messenger. Highland Scots used the Highland Games to train for combat in the Jacobite Rebellions as the English had banned them from training for war.

The Events of the Highland Games There are many different events in the Highland Games These include: Caber Toss –athletes throw a long wooden log. Stone Put, an event very similar to the modern Olympic Shot Put Sheaf Toss, Competitors throw large bundles of straw.

Scottish Highland Dancing Scottish Highland dancing is one of the oldest forms of folk dance The Highland Dances of Scotland tended to be highly athletic male celebratory dances of triumph or joy According to tradition, the old kings and chiefs of Scotland used the Highland Games as a way of choosing the best men for their retinue and men at arms Although historically Highland dancing was restricted to men, today it is mostly performed by females.

Famous Dances There are lots of famous Scottish dances including: The Highland Fling The Sword Dance The Highland Reel Groups of people do scottish dancing at ceilidhs at weddings and parties.

Scottish Music Music is a very important part of Scottish Culture. The Main instruments in Scottish music are: The accordian The bag pipes The fiddle The guitar The Harp

Pipe Bands The most common bag pipes are the Great Highland Bag Pipes The World Pipe Band Championships takes place in Glasgow every August. These Pipe Bands perform in competitions and concerts across the world.

Famous Scottish Musicians There is a lot of Famous Scottish Musicians including: Franz Ferdinand The Fratellis Paulo Nutini Texas Travis

Made For You By Cris Javi Aitor