Thousands visit Highland Gathering

Thousands of people thronged the 26th Jakarta Highland Gathering at Lippo Karawaci, Tangerang, on Sunday, which featured mainly Scottish traditions but was participated in by various groups from a number of countries in the region.

Under the scorching sun, visitors, mostly foreigners with families and friends, were welcomed to the sound of bagpipes and men wearing kilts as they entered the grounds of the Pelita Harapan School at Lippo Karawaci.

Highlights of the gathering, which started at 7 a.m with a 10-kilometer cross-country race and junior hash run, included a parade of bagpipe bands, tug-of-war and traditional Scottish dancing, as well as a 5-a-side soccer tournament.

As many as 14 groups from Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Australia competed in the pipe and drum competitions in the solo and quintet categories.

Scottish dancing, presented by six groups from Singapore, Japan and Jakarta, drew the attention of spectators with its rhythmical steps.

Several groups of Indonesian, Korean and Indian dancers, who performed their own traditional dances, added an Asian flavor to the gathering.

Visitors also enjoyed the wood-chopping competition during the gathering, which pitted Rangi Bowen and Danial Minehan from Australia against Brian Parker and Phil Hughes from New Zealand.

But, of course, there could not be a Highland gathering without the presence of "the heavies", those heavily built athletes in kilts who competed in several heavyweight competitions such as putting the shot, throwing the hammer and tossing the caber.

Highland gatherings have been a tradition in Scotland for hundreds of years. The Jakarta event was first staged in this city, which has around 1,000 Scottish families, in 1975.

Unfortunately, the attractions of the event could only be enjoyed by people who could afford entry tickets, at Rp 30,000 for adults or Rp 10,000 for children.

While children competed in the "greasy pole" competition (in which they aimed to knock each other off a horizontal pole suspended over water), local children, who live outside the housing complex, could only watch it wistfully through a tall iron fence as they could not afford to get in.