Multi-hued tartans add a dash of color at Parade of the Tartans, when the clans march to the tune of drums and bagpipes. The festivities kick off with the Torchlight Ceremony, in which each clan comes forward and adds their torch to the bonfire to announce their presence. MacRae Meadows, nestled at the foot of the magnificent Grandfather Mountain reverberates with the sounds of bagpipes, singing, dancing and the cheers of the applauding crowds. More than 30,000 people and 120 clans are drawn to the event, the driving force being to promote Gaelic culture and keep alive the rich Scottish tradition of piping, dancing and athletics. The games are a riotous celebration of Highland culture with competitions in singing, dancing and athletics. Campers and RVers with a penchant for all things Gaelic can head to this beautiful mountain retreat, that is highly reminiscent of the Scottish landscape. is a non-profit organization supported through membership and donations, and with proceeds from its events utilized for the preservation of Historic Rural Hill and its education efforts.The 60th Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and Gathering of Scottish clans conducted in Linville, North Carolina will be held between July 9-12 this year. and features annual events such as the Loch Norman Highland Games, the Rural Hill Amazing Maize Maze, the Rural Hill Sheepdog Trials, and the NC Brewers and Music Festival. The 265-acre site is maintained and promoted by Historic Rural Hill Inc. For many, going to the Games is like going home to a family reunion.Ĭelebrating more than 250 years in history…Rural Hill is the former homestead of Major John and Violet Davidson. The Games provide a connection to that heritage. The Scottish Games in the United States have grown because many people of Scottish descent still feel the pull of their ancestral homeland and heritage. Games and Festivals offer competition focused on traditional Scottish athletic events, dance and music they have expanded to include “fun” competitions, non-competitive tests of skill and strength, and historical re-enactments. Many events folded the ones that survived refocused on their cultural heritage and expanded to become Festivals. With the rise in intercollegiate athletics in the late 1800’s participation at Scottish Games went into a decline. There is also a description of the “First Sportive Meet” of the Highland Society of New York in the Emigrant and Old Countryman of Octowhich gives some indication that regular competition took place during the first half of the 19th Century. One source does state that the Boston Scots had been meeting for “traditional games” for several years before that. were presented by Scottish emigrants living in Boston in 1853. Tradition tells us that Games were held near Ellerbe, North Carolina in the late 1700s most sources state that the first Games in the U.S. Many of these Gatherings are still being held today.Īs Scots immigrated to far-flung lands they took their sport and culture with them. Within a few years Gatherings were being held at many towns throughout Scotland. Fillan’s with piping, athletics, and dancing (including the Sword Dance for the first time). Scottish Games as we know them today began to develop in 1781 when the Highland Society of Falkirk sponsored prize money and trophies for competitions in dancing, piping, and athletics during the town’s Fall Fair. We have reports of athletic competition (“Games”) at many times and places when people gathered together fairs, military musters (“wapenschaws”), even funerals! Games which now feature track and field events, music, and dance have been held in the village of Ceres (in Fife) since shortly after the battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Modern Scottish Festivals have their roots in the middle ages. Come and experience all the fun with Highland Dancing, Bagpipe Bands, Highland Athletics, a Giant Kid’s Zone, Scottish Merchants, Haggis, Celtic Rock and Traditional Performers, Historic Reenactments, Scottish Country Dancing, Sunday Church Service, Hearth Cooking, NC Beer and Wine, Whiskey Tastings, Kilted Running Events, Scottish Clan Societies, Shoot Long Bows and Blowguns, Throw a Battle Axe and so much more! The Loch Norman Highland Games April 15-16, 2023 at Rural Hill is a family friendly event presented by Historic Rural Hill.
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