Highland Games in Scotland
Highland Games are thought to have their origins in the medieval hiring fairs at which landowners would hire farmhands and maidservants. In order to find the strongest farm hands athletic contests including feats of strength were devised for the men and dance contests were organised for the ladies. Music contests were also arranged to find good entertainers.
Highland Games as we know them today were well established in the Scottish Highlands by the middle of the Victorian era. During the twentieth century games also began to be held in some of the lowland towns and in recent years games reached the south of Scotland including being held at Peebles, Dumfries, and at Hawick. Hawick Highland Games were first held in 2004.
Sustainability of the games
This year (2010) marks the holding of the seventh games in Hawick. Sustainability of the games in the Borders has been a problem from the outset, due to the need to provide generous prizes in order to attract a high caliber of contestants, many of whom have a long journey here from further north, and for 2010, Hawick Highland Games have received grant aid of up to £,5,045 from Awards for All for specific projects to grow the games and make them self sustaining.
