Got a good
shot of these sailors who were smartly dressed for the parade.
Had been to the Military Tattoo this year
at Edinburgh. This happens to be on the
bucket list for many and so was it for us. We were there well in advance
and it was nice to see the stands getting filled up slowly.
While walking up the Royal Mile towards the castle, I turned back and clicked
the sea of humanity who were all going in the same direction.
The lineup
of participants included 250 pipers and drummers, and contingents from Japan, India,
UK and US . You could see the flags of
all the participating nations fluttering around the Esplanade.
I learned
later that the stands at the Esplanade can be assembled or dismantled within a
month. The seats were quite comfortable
but some liked to have additional cushions, which were available on hire at a
cost of one pound.
The Tattoo
starts off with the ceremony of theGaelic Toast, where the Piper and the Salute taker have a Quaich (Scottish
drinking cup) of whisky. The Piper recites the Gaelic Toast (welcoming the
Salute taker to the castle, wishing him, the Queen and everyone present the
best) and then they drink together. They have to then kiss the bottom of the
Quaich as a sign that no whisky is left behind and wasted.
The Marines stand at ease while
the ceremony goes on.
As the night progressed there were projections on
the castle which were mostly related to the story enacted or the parade.
The Indian Naval band appeared with Commander Vijay Charles and 65
musician sailors. There was an array of colourful dancers who danced to Vande
Matram. Later, to my surprise they started playing Bollywood numbers.
As for the Japanese, they had the Ground Self
Defence Force Central Band with some special performance on the drums.
The
Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland told the story of the Jacobites through
the breathtaking piece “Ambush in the
Glen”
The Royal
Navy towed in a Helicopter to add to the effect of a search and destroy
operation.
I think the light and the sound effect played a major role in
the whole show.
We were lucky to get our seats in row K
section 5 from where I could capture some of the action with my point and shoot
camera.
After editing / splicing and joining the snippets, it runs for
about 41 minutes. It will give you a glimpse of the actual performance which
ran for about 100 minutes. At the end of the Tattoo, all the participants come
on to the Esplanade and they march out through the Royal Mile.
Earlier in the day I had clicked the castle from outside.
