Highland Games

The Highland Games are events held worldwide in order to foster and restore interest in traditional dancing, piping, athletic achievement, and other aspects of Gaelic culture. This celebration of Scottish and Celtic custom especially reflects the rituals born in the Scottish Highlands, the rugged and mountainous regions of Scotland north celebrated for being one of the most scenic regions in Europe. Usually a one- or two-day event held in the late summer or fall, the Highland Games combine entertainment and athletic competitions grounded in Gaelic tradition.

The origin of the Highland Games is believed to predate recorded history, so exactly how the Highland Games began is largely a mystery. The modern Highland Games' history is most notoriously traceable to King Malcolm III of Scotland in the 11th century. Different accounts trace the games' history to trials of strength, speed, agility, and skill that took place in religious and cattle fairs, or as training for military battle. The Highland Games also more specifically served as a mode of training for the Scottish men in times of English rule. The English outlawed Scottish military training to prevent any uprising, so the Scottish instead replaced arms and weapons with the implements of the Highland Games.

Regardless of the beginnings of the Highland Games, the modern games are a Victorian invention, developed after the Highland Clearances, the brutally forced emigration of the Scottish Highlands in the 18th century.