Visitors find good time at Highland Gathering

Visitors find good time at Highland Gathering

JAKARTA (JP): The 22nd Jakarta Highland Gathering was a
success yesterday, judging by the smiles on the 6,500 visitors'
faces.

Norman Campbell, the organization committee chairman of the
Scottish sports and cultural festival held at Senayan, was
delighted that the gathering seemed successful.

Good weather, the variety of events, and a chance to visit
Indonesia helped draw many foreign visitors -- mainly returnees.

"It was snowing the day I left Scotland," said Bruce Aitken,
yesterday's champion of the Scottish traditional sports.

Aitken, who broke previous hammer throw records, as well as
records for throwing the 56 lb (25 Kg) weight for distance and
the shot putt, returned to the festival after a four year hiatus.

A Scottish expatriate, a member of the Thailand Tappers dance
team, said that reviving her culture by dancing rejuvenated her
spirit.

Alex Park, a Scott who lives in London, said gatherings held
outside Scotland are usually less formal and therefore more
attractive and fun.

"Traditionally, gatherings held in Scotland were intended only
for the upper class, whereas here it's more for everyone," Alex
said.

Main attraction

Boys from Nias demonstrated stone jumping, a new feature at
the Jakarta gathering. The two-meter hurdle was made of plywood
for yesterday's event.

Called hombo batu or zawo-zawo in Nias, stone jumping is
a male initiation ritual. It is traditionally used as a yardstick
to determine if a youth is mature enough to marry or to guard his
kampong, the visiting group's leader Fons Hia told The Jakarta
Post.

According to Hia, a boy who fails to leap the pile is likely
to be injured and therefore unable to make a second attempt.

In addition to the stone jumping, a traditional dance troupe
from Indonesia's northernmost province of Aceh and a Maori troupe
from New Zealand enlivened the festival with their far-from-
Scottish performances.

The sheer number of events, however, left many visitors
bewildered, not able to choose a performances really suited to
their tastes. A first-time visitor, a university student, who
wanted to take-in the entire gathering did not have enough time
to satiate her curiosity.

"I wanted to do so many things at the same time and ended up
not really enjoying anything," she complained. (14)