Part of the ritual of the Highland games is the massing of the bands.
At moment's like these, it is not difficult to understand why the bagpipes were considered weapons of war.
The piper in the blue and green kilt below is Tyrone. He is the Pipe Major for the Elliot Bay Pipe Band and he played at our wedding. It was at our wedding that my husband decided to start playing the bagpipes and two weeks later he was well on his way in that endeavor. Tyrone was one of his teachers.
Once the bands march in field, they announce the winners of the days competitions and retire the colors
then the bands turn around and march their way back off the field
It's a deafening, goosebumpy kind of experience.
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11 comments:
Thses pictures are so good...I get goosebumps when I hear pipes. So very beautiul...I also love the look of your blog!
Wow! I just posted a photo on Sunday of an Honor Guard in the Pear Fair Parade with the leader being a man playing the bagpipes. Again, our similarities scare me. THanks for checking my blog. Do NOT LET DR.s tell you you're too fat! We were able to do IVF at a discount as we participated in the agencies studies. YOu might want to see if this could help IVF become an option for you. Also, adoptions through the state are free. Check out this blog you might find what it has to say both supportive and helpful. Maybe they have info for both of us. I check back with it often. I keep hoping an answer is out there for people like us. http://coming2terms.com/2008/07/30/blogher-video-when-the-road-to-motherhood-is-anything-but-smooth.aspx I took Metphormin for a while but learned it doesn't sit well with my stomach. More than you needed to know but... Any time you need a shoulder or prayer I'm here!
WOW, that's impressive. I can only imagine what it sounded like. I love the second picture -- I've never seen an Asian in a kilt playing bagpipes before. :)
yeah, a lot of people assume this is a white boy's club - but while the white boys are definitely in the majority, nearly half of the pipers at the winter competitions we attend are women, and all different ethnicities are represented.
In a week in Scotland I don't think I saw so many kilts and bagpipes. Sure makes me miss drinking scotch.
Beautiful pictures! I love watching the Highland games.
Thanks for your comment about the kids enjoying the beach. We had a great day together!
Have you read "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon? There's a hot Scot named Jamie who is the main character as well as an incredible story set in the Scottish Highlands. I'm part Scottish and love the bagpipes.
I didn't know there were that many pipes in the US. Great photos by the way. I know this is silly and so culturally insensitive, but I always chuckle when I see the kilts and can't help smiling at men in "skirts".
Great pixes! One question: I'm guessing that all those different tartans in the kilts stand for different clans? In the old country, would they be at war with one another? OK, that was 2 questions, but still...
I've always loved the bagpipes...I don't know about hearing that many all at once. I bet that was deafening! Great pics!
@ Veggie Mom - generally speaking the different tartans would represent different clans or families - in this case however, the vast majority of pipers were wearing the tartan of their pipe band rather than their family tartan.
These bands were all competing against each other throughout the course of the day (so in a way they were fighting against each other), but for the massing of the bands they all come together. In the old country they did fight against each other from time to time, but the bigger enemy was England. They would have joined together like this to fight for their independence from England.
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