Highland games are athletic, piping, and dancing competitions held in Scotland every summer. They are also known as Highland gatherings. Competitors come from all parts of Scotland, dressed in their tartans. The games have changed little since early times. They include running, jumping, throwing the hammer, tossing the caber (heavy wooden pole), and putting the weight. Pipers compete in playing marches; dances such as jigs, reels, and strathspeys; and special pipe music called piobaireachd. Highland dancers vie with each other to the music of the pipes. At some games, there are pipe band competitions, which are probably the most colorful of all the events.
Highland games are held in many parts of Scotland every year. Two of the principal games are the Royal Highland Gathering, or Braemar Gathering, held at Braemar, Grampian Region, in August or September; and the Northern Meeting Highland Gathering, held at Inverness in September.
The Highland games developed from informal gatherings on the local machair (pastureland), at which people in Scotland used to compete in feats of strength and skill. The events included everyday activities, such as walking, running, jumping, handling trees and weights, dancing, and singing.
