Certain aspects of the games are so well known as to have become emblematic of Scotland, such as the bagpipes , the kilt , and the heavy events, especially the stone put , Scottish hammer throw , weight throw , weight over bar , caber toss , keg toss and sheaf toss. While centred on competitions in piping and drumming, dancing, and Scottish heavy athletics, the games also include entertainment and exhibits related to other aspects of Scottish and Gaelic cultures.
It is the largest Highland games in Scotland, [ a ] attracting around 3, competitors and somewhere in the region of 23, spectators [ 1 ] [ 2 ] from around the globe. Highland games are claimed to have influenced Baron Pierre de Coubertin when he was planning the revival of the Olympic Games. De Coubertin saw a display of Highland games at the Paris Exhibition of They were to arrive wearing Highland coats and "also with gun , sword , pistol and dirk ". There are also thought to have been events where the strongest and bravest soldiers in Scotland would be tested.
Musicians and dancers were encouraged to reveal their skill and talents and so be a great credit to the clan that they represented. Attempts have been made to discover earlier traditions of games, although evidence is thin. The primary sources are from the bardic traditions of both contests between clans and of tests to select retainers for clan chiefs.
An example of a possible early games venue is at Fetteresso. The modern Highland games are largely a 19th-century development, from the period following the Jacobite rebellions and subsequent ban on Highland dress.
The games are the primary source of business for a cottage industry of professional kiltmakers outside of Scotland, and are the main recruiting grounds of the numerous clan societies. While the Scottish Highland Games Association says there are dozens of such events in Scotland, [ 16 ] there were at least annual Highland games events worldwide as of , [ 17 ] more than of them in the US alone, and dozens more in Canada.
