Random thoughts after my first Highland Games

[Tarheel]

Thanks for your post Bonnie. I did preface my comment with "cheap seats". I failed to remember that games between long standing rivals will not include the mingling we "diasporas" appreciate.

[MacKenzie]

Thanks for your post Bonnie.

Indeed! Interesting.

Last weekends event was, after all, Rural Hill Scottish Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games.

[Jock Scot]

Thanks for your post Bonnie. I did preface my comment with "cheap seats". I failed to remember that games between long standing rivals will not include the mingling we "diasporas" appreciate.

I am not quite sure what you are getting at, but if you are talking inter-clan rivalries at Highland Games in Scotland of today, then, its just not an issue. Actually the assorted Clan rivalries of the past are not an issue generally in modern Scotland. Yes, events of the past are not forgotten and again yes, they are not an issue in day to day living here. A lesson that some other parts of the world might like to think about rather more seriously than perhaps they do!

[MacThomas]

most Scots don't understand the diaspora's (US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand...) intense love for what we perceive to be our Scottish heritage. Many there see what we do as play-acting and costumed silliness.

This is particularly interesting: would like to know more about this (is this shared by a majority of Scots?)!

[Jock Scot]

This is particularly interesting: would like to know more about this (is this shared by a majority of Scots?)!

I have no idea if the "majority" of the Scots think thus, but I can think of a fair few that do think that way in a rather long suffering and mildly humorous sort of way. A wee bit like an indulgent Grand father might consider matters with his Grand children.

[tpa]

This is particularly interesting: would like to know more about this (is this shared by a majority of Scots?)!

Yes, I would agree with Jock, not forgotten but also not an issue. Football team rivalry is the modern equivalent.

[bonniegraham]

We talked about several different issues at play, including the obvious fact that someone living in Scotland of Scottish descent does not feel the need or desire to celebrate their cultural heritage since they've not been separated from it. They are living it everyday...like we proudly fly our US flag, tear up at singing the national anthem, and cook out on the 4th of July. People who are distant from their homeland or heritage will want to honor their heritage in more visible ways perhaps than "natives".
Some Scots also don't understand why we don't just see ourselves as Americans. "But you are American, not Scottish!"

[Jock Scot]

Exactly so Bonnie. Your last paragraph is particularly pertinent.

[neloon]

And, if you would rather be Scots, come and live in Scotland - you would be very welcome
Alan

[OC Richard]

About differences between USA and Scottish Highland Games, I have been to both, but my experiences are very lopsided, having been to many different Games here in the USA over the last 40 years, but only having been to a couple in Scotland, North Berwick and Bridge Of Allan (once each) and The World Pipe Band Championships, not a "Games" per se (twice).

For one thing, Games here in the Southwest I've been to are rather different from the Games in the Eastern US I've attended (Atlanta GA, Alexandria VA, Fair Hill MD, Grandfather Mountain NC, Bridgeport WV), perhaps as different as either are from the Scottish Games I've attended.

For another thing, our California Games are quite different now than they were in the 1970s, when I first started attending them.

So setting the Eastern US Games aside, and comparing the modern California (plus some Nevada and Arizona) Games to North Berwick and Bridge of Allan, the biggest differences are

-one day v two days: Here two-day Games are the norm, in Scotland it appears that one-day Games are the norm.

-number of Games: The "Greater Los Angeles" area, with around 15 million people, only has two Games, and including the San Diego area we have one Games in February, one in May, and one in June. In Scotland there are dozens of Games all over the place, and one might attend two Games a weekend every weekend during July and August.

-number of pipe bands: Our biggest Games in the Southwest, the Caledonian Club Of San Francisco (now held in Pleasanton, and representing the whole state of California more or less) has around 30 pipe bands. North Berwick, a village of six thousand people, had around 80 or 90 pipe bands. Our smaller Games might have 5 to 15 bands.

-setting and weather: The Scottish Games are in beautiful green settings and it can rain all day. Our California Games are usually in hot dry dusty ugly inland valleys and you get sunburnt. BTW it's curious that a number of our West Coast Games are run by Scottish clubs/societies in large coastal cities which enjoy wonderful cool coastal weather, some of the nicest weather in the world, yet they move the Games site away to hot dry dusty inland valleys many miles from the coast and cut off from the nice cool coastal breezes, cities include San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle. Exceptions are Los Angeles, Ventura, and Monterey which hold their Games at or near the coast.

-peripheral stuff: Our Southwestern Games, nowadays, have loads of stuff: a whole encampment of Renaissance Faire people, encampments of re-enactors of various sorts, Scottish Fiddling, Scottish Harping, whisky tasting, sheep dog demonstrations, Country Dance demonstrations, loads of shops with swords and Ren Faire clothes and Celtic stuff of various types, and numerous stages with Celtic Rock bands and Folk Bands etc performing.

In Scotland I didn't see stuff like that, but rather saw the sorts of things we would have here at a County Fair like kid's rides etc. In other words Games here have more of a historical thing whereas in Scotland they had the feeling of a local Fair, where locals not connected to any of the competitions would show up for a good time.

About Eastern US Games, they're more like Scottish Games in setting, in beautiful green forests etc. One thing which struck me as very odd is that at Grandfather Mountain NC and Bridgeport WV there is no alcohol sold or allowed whatsoever. Here in California, and in Scotland, the Beer Tent is an integral part of the piper's day.

At Grandfather Mountain what struck me was the small number of pipe bands and entertainment and the vast number of Clan tents, including a large number of Clans I'd never heard of. The Games had more the feel of a massive Family Picnic. California Games, not surprisingly, have more of a "show biz" feel.