I don't know how else to describe our rugby experience.
We headed to the Scotland vs. Italy match two weekends ago. Yes, Italy has a rugby team.
The game was on a Saturday afternoon beginning at 3 p.m. We (and the rest of Edinburgh) began our procession to Murrayfield Stadium via bus to the pitch (field).
We would have probably saved time walking because there were people EVERYWHERE! Cars couldn't move, people adorned with their team's flag were carrying their 2-litres of beer, and the sound of bagpipes and the smell of nasty concessions filled the air. On the way in to the stadium, I had to buy a Scottish flag in support of our team - even though I have no idea what rugby is.
We arrived just in time for "kick-off" and the singing of Scotland's "national anthem". SO COOL!
Next thing I know 20 men in short shorts and no padding tackle each other, one team member lift his fellow teammate by his butt in the air, only to turn around and grope each other between the legs until they could again find the ball (no pun intended). Then, they scrum - or literally "Red Rover" each other in a football kind of way until someone turns up with the ball.
What.the.hell?!
Scotland was on a ROLL and eventually scored quite a few points. The stadium went NUTS and in true sport-like tradition, broke into a "pump-up" song. In the states at our big sporting events, after the home team scores there's some kind of "pump-up" song. A bad mix of Jock Jams, if you will. Nonetheless, something that 98% of all attendees recognize within 2 beats, know, and immediately jump to their feet screaming at the tops of their lungs.
In Scotland, they play The Proclaimer's "I Would Walk 500 Miles" after each point earning. I laughed my ass off at this little tradition. Just picture it: the whole stadium going crazy, hooting and hollering over some kind of scoring method or play, and then segueing into "Well, I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more...just to be the man who walks 1,000 miles for you! Da da da!!! Da da da!!!"
Nothing says "amp up" like The Proclaimers.
And nothing says "Half Time Show" like four guys skydiving to the middle of the field. Random? Yes. Did I take pictures? You bet.
But this whole process must work for Scotland because they beat Italy (surprised? I'm not.)
So in a haze of "What the heck did I just spend two hours watching?" and not knowing exactly where we were, we left the field as esctatic as the most hardcore of rugby fans over the victory of "Mon' Scotland"! The rest of the UK was walking with us, which made our trip home much more manageable and exciting. But cars couldn't move down the street thanks to a sea of people completely blocking the streets.
This just goes to show that while we may not fully understand traditions or cultures of other places we visit, you might as well pick up a pint, tie a flag around your shoulders, and sing your
head off solely because you can.
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