We started the day early, leaving the house while it was cold and miserable outside, but the day quickly turned sunny and beautiful...though a little more cloud cover would have been nice. The caber tossing is what initially drew me to the games (tree throwing = awesome), but the thousands of other people that attended were drawn by a sense of pride in their heritage. This pride was so infectious I left wishing I were Scottish.
To paint a picture of the day...imagine bagpipers scattered across the park, each playing a slightly different song that somehow still fit with the others; a plethora of tasteful plaid; kilts, kilts, and more kilts (a deep symbol of Scottish pride, check out the history if you have time); tents; rocks; delicious
scents wafting from the food vendors; and general merriment. We all know morning is not my happiest time (thanks mom and dad for going early with me anyway!), but even I was not immune from getting into the spirit of things.
We headed straight for the games themselves, catching the very end of the sheaf tossing - using a pitchfork to throw a bag over a pole at different heights - and got to watch all of the hammer throw and caber tossing. The hammer throw is possibly one of the scariest spectator sports out there - I
kept waiting for them to lose their grip and to throw it wildly into the crowd, or for the top (21 lbs!) to pop off, but it never happened. Instead, we watched them launch it farther and farther, with the winner's going 104 feet, 10 1/2 inches.
Then, the moment I had been waiting for...the caber toss!!! I had been curious; just how DOES one toss a tree? Turns out, they pick it straight up and try to toss the one end as high as they can in order to get it to flip completely over. Points are awarded based on the angle they get the end up before it falls back down. It's amazing - when they throw it and get it to 80 degrees, it seems as though it would be impossible to ever get it to flip over. But, when they do get it to flip completely, it seems like the easiest, most natural thing in the world. I'm sure there is a life lesson somewhere in there...
On to the parade of clans! The official start of the games meant a grand, true parade on the field. Out they came, family by family, some with only one person, some with many, to much fanfare. Then the pipers, then the national anthems, and finally a reading of those that passed away over the past year.
We wandered, we watched more games, we ate, then we sat on the bleachers to wait for the border collie sheep herding. While waiting, we were treated to the piping competition and the most unexpected delight of all...the boulder boogie. Anyone could prove their mettle by trying their hand at carrying massive rocks around the field (to the left of the pipers). And when I say massive, the smallest one was around 90 lbs., one was around 125, one was around 178, one was just over two hundred...and one was the top of a giant Celtic cross, weighing well over 300 lbs. Men, women, a few boys that couldn't have been more than 14...some made it farther than others, but all of them did better than I could have. Picking it up and getting a good grip seemed to be the hardest part, and each person had their own plan. Only one person actually picked up the cross (a few tried) and he made it seem like he was carrying a pillow. Why it was so entertaining, I have no idea. But It rocked. (hahaha yesssss)
Finally (for us), the sheep herding. Loved it, and it kept making me think of this video I had seen on YouTube last year.
And of course there was the dancing, the village, the hatchet throwing, the rock bands, the vendors....but you'll just have to go for yourself! They are all over, so you should be able to find one close to you. Thanks mom and dad for going with me! I am so glad I got to experience it with you. My mom told me her family used to go to Welsh festivals, so I will have to keep an eye out for those next!
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