A History of Highland Games

The Highland Games are said to be deeply rooted with Scotland’s clan system, with some scholars even suggesting an ancient Irish origin. While there tends to be some debate amongst academics about the shared cultural history between the Gaelic Scots and Irish during the medieval Dalriadic period, we can see a clear connection between the Games of the high middle ages and the Games of today.

Medieval Scotland experienced shifts in society along with the rest of Western Europe. Between the early and late middle ages, the social structure evolved from a system of kinship, to feudalism, to the more commonly identified kin and clan system, which was a bit different from the earlier version that actually followed a matrilineal line of descent. It was during the high middle ages that King Malcolm III, most notably, used competitions of strength in order to evaluate and assign his best men to the best jobs. This idea would later be forged with the wider clan system where chiefs, having the same idea as Malcolm, would both test their own clansmen against one another, as well as against other clans. Prior to our modern concept of the Highland Games, they were more practical than social, and included much less music and dancing.

In the 18th century, the Games were often combined with clan gatherings, which did evolve to include more acts of celebration, which might have made them more akin to our cultural gatherings of today than those of the middle ages. However, it was also during the 18th century that the Jacobite Uprisings and the subsequent Clearances brought the evolving ancient clan system to an end. In conjunction with the Clearances, the Act of Proscription banned many aspects of Highland culture including the wearing of tartan, playing of bagpipes, and gathering for Games. The goal of the Hanoverian government was to make certain there would not be any additional uprisings in support of Charles Edward Stuart, but the ultimate outcome was the destruction of the Highland way of life, including our beloved Games.

By the start of the 19th century, the Act had been repealed and the result was a much greater exuberance and admiration for Highland cultural traditions than before. When King George IV visited Scotland in 1822, interest in Highland culture began to spread. The romantic movement of the 19th century encouraged a sympathetic view of the tragedy of the Bonnie Prince and his Jacobites, which heightened the enthusiasm for celebrating all that had been lost during the Clearances. This is where we see the Games beginning to take on their modern identity.

Like the gatherings that took place during the 19th century, the Games of today have evolved to represent more than the strength and bravery of Highland clansmen. Music and dance competitions have become equally significant to the framework of the Games. Piping, drumming, Highland dance, and Celtic harp competitions are also as much spectacles of Scottish performance for visitors as they are important benchmarks for competitors

The Braemar Gathering is Scotland’s oldest Games, having connections to Malcolm III’s medieval Games. Its association with royalty doesn’t end with King Malcolm Canmore, though. Beginning in the 19th century, Braemar has often been attended by members of the Royal Family, with Queen Victoria even titling the organizing society as the Braemar Royal Highland Society. In 2018, Her Majesty The Queen unveiled the society’s new Braemar Highland Games Centre, where visitors can explore the Games’ history. Braemar is touted as the most prominent and best attended Highland Games, making it a must on one’s visit to Scotland.

The Cowal Highland Gathering, another of Scotland’s most prestigious Games, is best known as the location of the World Highland Dancing Championships. Like Braemar, Cowal is defined by its incredible audience and competitor numbers, hosting over 20,000 visitors each year. Though the Games take place in the town of Dunoon, it gets its name from the peninsula on which the town is located.

The popularity of Highland Games has expanded as far across the globe as the Scots themselves. The United States, however, surpasses every other country in the world -- including Scotland! The Games in the US are highly celebrated opportunities for Scottish Americans and Scottish enthusiasts to immerse themselves in Highland traditions. Along with exciting sports and arts competitions, you’ll find as many vendors selling tartan goods or information about various clans as you will people wearing kilts. ScotlandShop has travelled across the pond to attend a number of games in the US and Canada. Most recently, our tent popped up in Florida at the start of 2020 when we attended both the North East Florida and South East Florida games.

Many of the Games in the United States are so expansive that they last for days and offer a slew of musical performances and classes for guests to take part in. At the New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival, the Highland oral tradition can be experienced through Jacobite stories told through song, while historical reenactments put pre-21st century Highland life on display.

A highlight of our 2019 trip to Canada was the Fergus Scottish Festival & Highland Games. Like the US, the Games are extremely popular in Canada because of the strong interest in Scottish culture. In fact, the number of Canadians claiming full or partial Scottish descent is around 14% of the nation's total population!

The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games are a fundamental part of the Highland Games in the US as a whole and are representative of the rich history of the Scots in North Carolina. Unlike the Games in Scotland, the clans are highly celebrated at Grandfather Mountain with a special torch lighting ceremony in which a Saltire Cross of fire is raised in honor of participating clans and their ancestors.

I've been to many different games in the US, but my favorite experience was competing in the Highland Dance competition at the NH Highland Games! Growing up in the US without a lot of access to Scottish culture, I started Highland only a few years ago. New Hampshire is such a major festival, so there were tons of dancers in my category, which doesn't always happen at smaller games. This was my second competition and it was awesome to be dancing with so many other adult beginners. I placed 3rd in both fling and sword, which felt like quite the accomplishment at a games of that size.

Though the Games have evolved quite a bit since the middle ages, Scotland’s history of producing strong men still stands. Most recently, Tom Stoltman has become Scotland’s first World’s Strongest Man title holder!