Hallowe'en and the World Pipe Band Championships on Glasgow Green

‘Tis the night of ghosts and bogies! Happy Hallowe’en, everyone! Hope you have a lovely time - not ‘trick or treating’- I’ve always thought that sounds rather salacious and not what you want to be encouraging children to go door-to-door for! No, I mean the old traditions of guising (dressing up); trying, while blind-folded, to bite suspended treacle scones; dooking for apples - kneeling on a chair and trying to drop a fork from your mouth to spear apples bobbing in a basin below.  And, of course, going round to entertain the neighbours and collect sweets, toffee apples, fruit and nuts as well as the odd penny for fireworks for the November 5^th  Guy Fawkes’ celebrations.  Happy 10^th Birthday to Katie in far off New Zealand and welcome to our new followers, especially Ellie and Dino, thank you all for joining us!

In Thessaloniki we have just celebrated the name day of patron Saint Dimitris on 26^th October, as well as the 100^th year of the city’s liberation from Turkish occupation, followed swiftly by Oxi Day, 28^th October, the day Greece repulsed Mussolini’s Fascist forces. We’ve been looking back on our history and turned the clock back so .. kalo mas xeimona  .. may our winter season be clement in every conceivable sense.                                  

I’ve been looking back on our recent, special summer when we had a ‘Highland Haj’ – a family pilgrimage back to the homelands of Argyll.  On the way we stopped off in Glasgow to take in the World Pipe Band Championship.  

                                            

This is the city of my birth; sadly it’s not one I have spent any length of time in, but arrival there always has a sense of home-coming. We’d heard foreboding forecasts as usual, but since ‘Glasgow’Smiles better’ J she welcomed us very warmly indeed!

We stayed at the Jury’s Inn - presumably where jury members were accommodated when doing their duty at nearby court-houses. The location could be said to be central, next to – and I mean right next to -Central Station. In fact, here are actual views from my bedroom window!   

 

       

                                 

Glasgow Green, the championship venue, was a delightful ten-minute walk along the banks of the Wonderful Clyde, as the song goes. Still in evidence are some of the huge warehouses, grand merchant residences and the old Custom House, echoing the city’s great industrial and commercial past. More modern buildings express the multi-ethnicity that the city has always encouraged and enjoyed.

                                         

       

 

  

  

 

  

    After many years of industrial and trade depression, during which Glasgow’s ‘no mean city’ image of poverty and violence did little to encourage development, in the 1980s and 90s a huge cultural renaissance took place, changing it into the vibrant, exciting, proud city of today.  The spruced-up waterfront area now houses state-of-the art, res.des. property and is the setting of amazing transformation. An example of this shown above is the Clyde Auditorium 3,000-seat concert venue. Completed in 1997 and built on the in-filled Queen’s Dock, its design symbolizes hulls of the ships built on Clydeside. It is much loved by the locals who fondly refer to it as the Armadillo. And still the development goes on - clearly!

 On reaching the venue on Friday afternoon, we got a sneaky preview of what was in store as competitors practised on the Green in sweltering heat. It was a delight to see how many young people were participating in the Juvenile category – and how many of them were girls. Here they were in T-shirts, shorts and jeans, adorned with tattoos, mohican or emo cuts, piercings, Goth paraphernalia, blowing their wee lungs out. 

 

 

                                

But for Saturday morning’s competition they had really cleaned up well – resplendent in Scotland’s traditional costume. The kilt is made of wool tartan, of patterns and shades that indicate our kin or company, our origin or organization. We Highlanders strongly identify with and are greatly proud of our clan colours. As you can see above, tuning the pipes is not just done by ear but the sound is mechanically measured and adjusted accordingly

   In the early 80s, I attended the Cowal Games in Dunoon, Argyll. I was with an uncle who was intrigued at how the pipe-majors would isolate themselves to tune their pipes prior to performing. I remember one piper turning on his heel with an indignant swish of his kilt - he had perhaps mistaken my uncle’s interest to be that of a tuning-technique spy!   What was really memorable on that occasion was that the organizers had wanted to mark the passing of two councillors in that past year. To that end, so to speak, all the competing bands drew up in circular formation around the audience in the field. A heavy mist rolled down from the hills and what we locals call a cold smir – or fine rain -  could be felt on our cheeks as the bands played the haunting lament, ‘The Flowers of the Forest’. With well over a  thousand pipers playing in measured, slow unison, I doubt there was a dry eye in the crowd.  What a send-off!

 

                                

It was sweet to see budding drum-majors, some bearing maces almost as big as themselves, having their kilt-length checked before being examined. They concentrate on tossing – and catching!- the mace as in future they hope  to lead their bands in parade. Good to see drum-majorettes too!

 

Bonnie dancers in vibrant-coloured costumes, practice their Highland dance steps before being led onto the platform to strut their stuff in front of piper and panel of judges.  The little lad, mid-twirl - answers an oft-posed question on under-kilt apparel!

    

But to oor pipers- the main focus of the event! The very best bands compete in Grade One category and are expected to play a March, a Strathspey and Reel, and one further more open event where the choice and arrangement are up to the band.  Our lone piper shows just how much puff is needed. As the bandsmen march forward in formation they do look awesome - in the original sense, generating a touch of fear along with wonder.     

                                 

     

                                                               

Here they are performing after many, many months of hard work and dedication, braw, braw lads!                     

This year’s winning band was Northern Ireland’s Field Marshall Montgomery band, highly polished performers who have won many prizes.

 It was a privilege to see so much talent at such a splendid venue. Above you can see the People’s Palace, a museum of the social history of the city of Glasgow, along with its adjoining Conservatory.  

 

 

 

And striving takes its toll on lungs, arms  and spirit so it was time to discard the drums and take time out, maybe for a wee helping of the traditional haggis, neeps (turnip) and tatties ( mashed potatoes), washed down with Glasgow’s answer to Coca Cola :Irn Bru, claiming  to be made from Scottish girders.      

  Pipers, drummers, dancers, judges… and tourists... need all the strength they can get! 

.......to be continued......