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Eerie wails and drones slicing the air, blood-curdling screams and feral grunting, the thunking crack of iron on wood, the frantic rat-tat-tat of taut drums: not your average day at the golf club.

But if these sounds would have puzzled and possibly terrified a passing ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver outside Imperial Klub Golf in Lippo Karawaci, Tangerang, on Sunday afternoon, they all seemed perfectly normal to those inside. Bagpipers, strapping sportsmen tossing cabers and hammers, others competing to split open half-meter logs, marching drum bands in perfect time — these were just some of the ingredients of the 31st Jakarta Highland Gathering.

And more than 4,000 locals and expatriates gathered to watch and join in the party atmosphere for the return after a two-year hiatus of the annual charity festival of Scottish culture and sports.

Not a Wee Affair

Annual Highland games or gatherings happen around the world wherever Scots want to celebrate their homeland and have an excuse for a party, and Jakarta’s, which stretches back to the 1970s, is now Southeast Asia’s biggest.

Despite also showcasing traditional Indonesian dances and games every year, the emphasis at recent events has been to encourage even more local support. This year’s crowd was about 70 percent local, according to the organizing committee.

Alistair Speirs, the committee’s chairman, said he was pleased with the turnout, having raised more than Rp 50 million ($5,400) for charities such as the Rawinala School for the Disabled, KMD Street Kids, Yayasan Peduli Tuna Daksa (Limbs for the Limbless Foundation) and the Wisma Chesire Foundation.

For Scots, of course, Highland gatherings are a second home, but for Jakartans, the sight of grown men in kilts dancing, tossing cabers and throwing weights makes for an unusual spectacle. Even a traditional game that Indonesians know and love, tarik tambang, becomes exotic as a tug of war, played out in colorful kilts.

“It’s really weird to see men in skirts,” said Juri, 43, who came from Cipete with his family to attend the Highland gathering for the first time. Juri’s wife, Tia, works for an expatriate who invited them along to see the event.

“I have never seen such a thing in Jakarta, but I like it,” Juri said. “I like the dancing the most; I think it’s unique.”

But he was not a big fan of the rain, which came down in sheets just after lunch, making the ground muddy in many places and hard to walk around.

The crowds started arriving ahead of 9a.m. for the all-day event at a fairground field annex of Imperial Klub Golf, and were treated immediately to the bagpipe and drumming solo competitions alongside arguably more mundane sports such as rugby, football and volleyball on another part of the field.

Following that was the dancing and the first of the “heavy” sports — involving professional athletes brought in to throw weights, put shots and chop wood — plus belly dancing and traditional Indonesian spinning tops from East Kalimantan.

At 1 p.m., British Ambassador Martin Hatfull officially opened the festival with a speech followed by a ceremony parade, where competitors marched around the arena.

Through the afternoon, the heavies competitions continued with hammer throwing and tug of war for the professionals, and welly throwing for all-comers. They were joined by a piping competition and Scottish reel dancing, plus Kalimantan blour pipes.

At dusk, with the drizzle easing and the sports finals and medal presentations out of the way, a fireworks finale lit the sky.

So Many Things to Like

Lia, 30, attended the event with her Scottish husband. She said the gathering was a good chance to catch up with friends. “I often see such events in Scotland, so it’s not the events that I’m really looking forward to,” Lia said.

Ratna, 50, who has been a regular guest to the gatherings since the 1990s, arrived later in the afternoon as she wanted mainly to see the fireworks at the end.

“I also like the woodchoppers, but I think I missed them because I got here late,” she said.

Ratna also thought this year’s gathering was a good comeback for the event, but lacked sufficient advertising.

For two proud Scots, Mark, 40, and Doug, 69, the gathering was an enjoyable way to spend their Sunday. For Mark, it also presented a chance to dust off his kilt. He said he also loved the sporting competitions and — his favorite programs — the hammer throw and caber toss.

However, Mark was left somewhat upset because of the lack of Scottish cuisine.

“It’s strange to come and get pizza and kebab,” he said, explaining that he expected more fare from his home country, such as haggis and lorne sausages.

Doug, who is currently vacationing in Jakarta, came to the event wearing a pair of pants. “Had I known that I would come to this event, I would have brought my kilt from Australia,” he said. Despite the poor weather, he said that the muddy ground was “a typical thing in a Scottish event.”

The rain did not dampen the atmosphere and people kept arriving throughout the early afternoon. Sherly, 35, for example, arrived at 3 p.m., saying she had come particularly to check out the stalls, especially the food and traditional market area.

Carol, 47, an American currently in Indonesia for a holiday, said the Jakarta gathering had all the hallmarks of a traditional Scottish games. “It’s a bit surprising to see a Scottish festival in Jakarta,” she said.

She said she liked the dancing and the games, but was most fond of the music. She also said Jakarta had proved to be a friendly city.