Ceilidh at Woodend Barn

To start my Halloween weekend, I went to a venison roast and ceilidh on Friday, October 29, in Banchory, a small town a few miles west of Aberdeen. It was a chilly, dark, windy autumn night, and the band, Danse McCabre, and its Scottish folk music seemed all the more appropriate for the end of October.

Ceilidhs are Scottish dances that closely resemble American barn dancing, or for those educated in the American public school system of the 70s and 80s, a square dance. The music is fast and increases in tempo as you dance. The band consists of a tin whistle, a drum, a fiddle, and the most important element of any ceilidh band, the electric piano (at least in the case of Danse McCabre).

I love folk music. I love dancing. Combine the two, and you’ve got me hooked. Most of the dances were fast, were done by a large group in two lines or one circle, and were quite the cardio-workout. I think my favorite of the night was “Strip the Willow” which basically involved hooking arms with one person and flying to the next individual up and down a line, all the while keeping up with an increasing tempo. From what I understand, most ceilidhs are had at weddings and are typically fairly formal events with men in their kilts and women in their hats. However, and I’ve yet to experience this, by the end of the night, the women have kicked off their shoes and are being whisked through the air from man to man in time to the music. In fact, I was given proper warning by a few fellow teachers that I would most likely have bruises up and down my arms, the men’s grips are so tight.

I’m sorry to say though that this was not the case. There were no men in kilts, and to be honest, there weren’t enough men to go around. However, I did have an excellent partner in Janice, one of my fellow teacher exchange club members. Part of her job as a PE instructor in the Scottish system is to teach these dances to her students, so I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.

The night at Woodend Barn was great fun, and I look forward to hopefully another opportunity to attend a ceilidh (with the bruises to show for it).