Experiencing Scottish Traditions Through Local Events

The World Porridge Championships 

With such an impressive natural larder, traditional food is a huge part of Scottish culture. Even the humble bowl of porridge deserves its place in the spotlight and for the last 30 years, Carrbridge has hosted the World Porridge Making Championships. Chefs from around the globe compete for the Golden Spurtle, creating the best bowl of porridge from just oats, water and salt. A second Speciality category allows competitors’ imaginations to run wild with variations on the traditional recipe. Everybody has their own way of making porridge, but until you compete at Carrbridge, you’ll never know if it’s worthy of the spurtle.

The Stonehaven Fireballs 

One of the more famous local traditions found around Scotland is the Fireballs at Stonehaven. This Hogmanay tradition takes place once midnight has passed, with around 45 locals marching through the town, rhythmically swinging a ball of flames around their heads. Each participant makes their own ball from wire mesh, filled with flammable material. It has to burn long enough to reach the climax of the night, otherwise the holder may never be able to show their face around Stonehaven again! Eventually, once the procession reaches the harbour, a last big effort sees the burning mass launched into the water to be extinguished. Written records might only track the Fireballs back roughly 150 years, but using fire to cleanse away the past year is a tradition that’s much older.

Kirkwall Ba’ Game

While many around Scotland are settling down on Christmas Day to relax with presents and turkey, things are very different in Kirkwall. Barriers line the streets, windows are boarded shut and hundreds gather as this Orcadian Town gears up for a battle known as the Ba’ Game.

There are two sides, Uppies and Doonies, originally split depending on where you were born relative to St Magnus’ Cathedral. The Ba’ is a heavy, cork- filled, leather ball, with each side trying to get it to the opposition’s end.

Apart from that, rules are scarce and the physical game is exhausting, lasting an average of five hours. It’s a tradition that dates back at least 300 years and for those from Kirkwall, victory is considered the highest possible honour.

Scottish Coal Carring Championship

Fife was once famous for its coalfields and that important part of local heritage is being kept alive today by the Scottish Coal Carrying Championship in Kelty. The competition was inspired by stories of local coal miners running home from the pits in the 1800s after a hard day’s work.

Men carry a 50kg bag of coal over a 1000m distance while women race with a 25kg bag. It’s no easy task and it’s not unusual to see competitors give up before the finish line, especially when faced with the gruelling uphill section known as Hell Hill.

The World Hickory Open 

Scotland’s relationship with golf is particularly strong with St Andrews being home to the oldest course in the world. While the sport marches on into the modern age, not everybody is so keen to follow and so every October, Scotland hosts the World Hickory Open Championships. Before the days of carbon fibre and titanium, golf was played with hickory clubs and 20 years ago a World Open Championship was founded, moving from course to course each year. While modern golf is dominated by big drives with powerful clubs, hickory is the thinking player’s game, with more emphasis on technique and careful planning. It might seem old-fashioned, but this traditional sport is going from strength to strength.

World Stone Skimming Stones Championships

Every September, on the tiny island of Easdale, hopeful competitors gather to show off their throwing arms. This is the World Stone Skimming Championships that have taken place off and on here since 1983. The fact that these are known as the Slate Islands explains why this tradition takes place here. This was the centre of Scotland’s slate industry, with millions once quarried annually and flooded quarries with perfectly flat surrounding stones make the perfect combination for the sport. Competitors have three attempts to skim stones as far as possible before sinking, with a minimum of two bounces required. There’s a special award just for locals as well as an Old Tosser category for those of a certain age.

words // Graeme Johncock