A week of holidays and gatherings!

As we all know, Halloween is fast approaching. This got me to thinking about holidays. So I am going to set off a week of holidays and gatherings here at my blog.

The first one I would like to write about is called Braemar Gathering. This takes place on the first Saturday in September. Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. About 58 miles west of Aberdeen in the Highlands, sitting near the River Dee. The Gaelic, Bràigh Mhàrr, literally means upper Marr.

The origin of this major Highland Games is said to go back to the 11th century when King Malcom the third, "Canmore", came to the village with his first Queen and held a gathering at the original settlement of Doldencha. He gave a prize to the winner of a race to the top of Craig Choinnich.

In 1746, the Act of Proscription ended all clan gatherings. It was repealled in 1782, and all enthusiasm for such events returned. In 1826, the Braemar Highland Society was created and the first modern day games took place in 1832. On September 14, 1844, Queen Victoria attended the gathering. In 1866, Royal was added to Braemar Highland Society. In 1906, the Duke of Fife presented 12 acres of Mar Estate to the Society in which The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park, the current home of the gathering, was created. Since Queen Victoria's time, the reigning Monarch has been the Patron of the Braemar Royal Highland Society.