Scottish Highland Games in Eastern Ontario.

[Dugald]

I attended a Scottish Highland Games at Maxville in Eastern Ontario, for the first time in donkey's years over this weekend, Canada's midsummer holiday weekend. It advertises itself as the biggest highland gathering in North America. It was very well attended... I'd guess about 12000 people were there.

I noticed quite a few changes from the last games I attended. For example, the national anthems of Scotland, America, and Canada, but not Britain, were sung by a professional singer and all spectators were asked to stand. Oh, and for Scotland the "anthem" sung was "Flower of Scotland", and not our own Lowlander Robert Burns' "Scots Wha Hae". (Scotland it seems, unlike most other lands, changes its so-called "anthem", according to the whim of some fleetingly 'more'-modern generation... might we expect it to change again in the not-too-distant future?).

Another somewhat disturbing change in the proceedings was the presence of Canada's Minister of National Defence, one Peter McKay... all decked out naturally in his McKay-tartan kilt. His attendance was really a celebrity occasion: he had a formal red-coated RCMP mounted escort as befits a man in his high governmental office (couldn't for the life of me imagine Anthony Eden at a highland games). He made a speech of course, extolling all the great things Scottish immigrants have contributed to the growth of Canada. Scottish "culture" according to him, is reflected in much of the life in Canada. ( Funny thing, but when I lived in Govan this nebulous notion that we call "culture", was something I always thought was used to define people who lived in foreign lands ... hey, we were the basic framework, we didn't need a "culture". What a arrogance we must have had!) .

Our Minister of National Defence had a bit more to say, which had little to do with highland games. Some soldiers from two Canadian Scottish regiments were present at the games (they took part in a tug-of-war competition) and we were told some of them were off to join Canada's Afghan Army next month.... hmmmm, I'm still not sure how the mention of this went over. No mention was made of the 87 dead Canadian soldiers who were killed defending Canada in Afghanistan.

There were, on the grounds of the Games, two Canadian Forces' recruiting stations actively engaged in recruiting members for the forces. I thought at first this was something new and not found at games in Scotland, then I recalled many years ago seeing the Royal Scots Greys (or the regiment that superseded them), doing a bit of recruiting at the Dunoon Games away back when...).

No, no, militarism was not the theme of the games; it was, or it was supposed to be, rather, Scottish music, dancing, partying, and naturally, lots of drinking. I find as I get older I have a tendency towards cynicism with regard to nationalismus and so on, but when 1709 pipers and drummers come skirling across a very small arena to the stirring stuff of Glendarual, geez, but it becomes very difficult, very difficult indeed, to remain unmoved.

[sds]

I noticed quite a few changes from the last games I attended. For example, the national anthems of Scotland, America, and Canada, but not Britain, were sung by a professional singer and all spectators were asked to stand. Oh, and for Scotland the "anthem" sung was "Flower of Scotland", and not our own Lowlander Robert Burns' "Scots Wha Hae". (Scotland it seems, unlike most other lands, changes its so-called "anthem", according to the whim of some fleetingly 'more'-modern generation... might we expect it to change again in the not-too-distant future?).

Scotland doesn't officially have a national anthem. Nor does England, Wales, Northern Ireland...

[Josef]

For example, the national anthems of Scotland, America, and Canada, but not Britain, were sung by a professional singer and all spectators were asked to stand. Oh, and for Scotland the "anthem" sung was "Flower of Scotland", and not our own Lowlander Robert Burns' "Scots Wha Hae". (Scotland it seems, unlike most other lands, changes its so-called "anthem", according to the whim of some fleetingly 'more'-modern generation... might we expect it to change again in the not-too-distant future?).

"O Canada" was not officially Canada's national anthem until 1980. Since 1867, "God Save the King" and "The Maple Leaf Forever" had been competing as unofficial national anthems in Canada. "O Canada" joined that fray when school children sang it for the 1901 tour of Canada by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall

"The Star-Spangled Banner" was made the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931 .

Before 1931, other songs served as the hymns of American officialdom. Most prominent among them was "Hail, Columbia," which served as the de facto national anthem from Washington's time and through the 18th and 19th centuries.

[cumbo]

Dugald,
Having spent 3 weeks in Ontario this summer I came accros many 'auld guys' like yourself with all the answers how to
sort out Scotlands political and social problems although the national anthem never came up for discussion.
Personaly I'm past caring what passes for a Scottish anthem,whatever suits the occasion.They sing Proclamer and Runrig songs as well as Flower of Scotland at Scotland Football matches.As long as the hairs stand up on the back of my neck it's a good for me!
Anyway on a personal note had I known I was so near your town I would have come round to see you,you realy should think about moving back to Scotland and live the dream!

Here is a picture of the Scots Dragoon Gaurds in Ontario last month

[samscafeamericain]

If, as a national anthem, the theme tune from the archers guaranteed an independent Scottish Republic I'd be for it.

Dum de dum de dum de dum
dum de dum de dum dum

[Dugald]

Sds, Josef, and Cumbo,

I see my use of "anthem" raised a few comments. It might have been noticed that I used the word three times, and out of those only one of them lacked quotations. It had been my intention to use quotation marks on all three of them, to indicate the word perhaps, was being used incorrectly, but i inadvertently missed one of them. Anyway...

Sds, even if Scotland doesn't officially have an "anthem", I think my comments regarding Robert Burns' "Scots Wha Hae" are still valid... one "pseudo anthem" seems to have replaced another "pseudo anthem".

Yes Josef, your comments about "Oh Canada" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" do make a point. Or do they? Both these anthems are, historically speaking, of very recent vintage, and belong to countries which themselves are of very recent vintage. With regard to "anthems" and "pseudo anthems", does Scotland not deserve to be classified with the likes of Germany, France, Holland, and other long-established lands? Geez, I don't know anything about the age of their anthems or pseudo anthems... but maybe I've made my point again anyway.

Ach Cumbo, if one of the 'auld guys' you met over here had been this one, you'd never have found out whether he wanted
to sort out Scotland's political and social problems. Like Peter McKay, this 'auld guy' would have devoted all his conversation to extolling all the great things Scottish immigrants have contributed to the growth of Canada. By the way, I have never heard of "Proclamer and Runrig" songs, and have no idea what they are. Moving back to Scotland and living a dream? I tried that, enjoyed it , and I might just try it again some day. Hope you enjoyed your holiday in Ontario... you picked the wrong summer; this past summer is the worst I've ever experienced. By the way, I'd never heard of the Scots Dragoon Guards.

[Josef]

Not that I wish to be contradictory, Dugald, but I think you'll find that the USA is of a considerably greater vintage than Germany, which is predated even by Canada.

Mark Twain complained in the nineteenth century about having to produce his passport every fifty miles or so, as he passed from one sovereign state to another, whilst travelling through the modern-day Germany.

[Dugald]

Not that I wish to be contradictory, Dugald, but I think you'll find that the USA is of a considerably greater vintage than Germany, which is predated even by Canada.

You're dead right Josef. Germany is of course one of Europe's youngest countries. I tend to forget that...touché!

[Roxburgh]

Star Spangled Banner dates from the 1812 Anglo-American war.As such, it is only some 25 years younger than the Marsellaise and considerably older than Deutschland Deutschland given that Germany only came into existence as a unified country in 1871.

[Josef]

Star Spangled Banner dates from the 1812 Anglo-American war.As such, it is only some 25 years younger than the Marsellaise and considerably older than Deutschland Deutschland given that Germany only came into existence as a unified country in 1871.

And, come to that, it was just new words superimposed on a 1760s English drinking song (If you could sing a stanza and stay on key, you were sober enough for another round). It still wasn't the official anthem till the twentieth century, though.

Scots Wha Hae is broadly contemporary with both of them. I always preferred 'Scotland the Brave' personally; I have an ineradicable image of Gordon Strachan bouncing up and down in the player lineup prior to one of our rare away wins in an Austria v Scotland game when it was, as Dugald says, our unofficial anthem.

[Dugald]

Well Guys, Roxburgh & Josef, if "Scots Wha Hae" is broadly contemporary with both the "Star Spangled Banner" and the "Marsellaise" then that's where I'm going continue to hang my bunnet! The things one learns on HG!

[potatojunkie]

The things one learns on HG!

Such as the fact that people still actually care about things like national anthems. Bizarre.

[Josef]

Indeed.

[Roxburgh]

The things one learns on HG!

Such as the fact that people still actually care about things like national anthems. Bizarre.

Nah ... we just care about obscure and relatively useless facts

[cameron]

Last week I went to the annual Highland games at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire in the US.
They have an impressive opening ceremony in which many pipe bands march on to the square then the British,Canadian and US anthems are sung accompanied by an honour guard carrying the flags of the participating nations.
This area (the White Mountains) resembles the Scottish highlands so every thing looks good.
Awra best,Steve.