Contrary Life

Contrary Life is a website covering quirky events across the UK.

  • Home
  • About
  • Events by region
    • North East
    • North West
    • Yorkshire
    • East Midlands
    • West Midlands
    • East
    • London
    • South East
    • South West
    • Scotland
    • Northern Ireland
    • Wales
Home > Alternative Sport > Ball game takes over the Kirkwall streets

Ball game takes over the Kirkwall streets

By Caroline King - December 17, 2019Posted in : Alternative Sport

As Christmas in Kirkwall approaches, the shops are getting ready to board up their windows. No, this is not the sign of an economic downturn, but a sign that The Ba’ is ready to be played.

The Ba' game, Kirkwall, Orkney (Photo: Charles Tait)
The Ba’ game, played in Kirkwall, Orkney (Photo: Charles Tait)

The Ba’ is a traditional game played every Christmas Day and New Year’s Day on the streets of Kirkwall, Orkney’s largest town. Once upon a time, street ball games were common across the UK, but only a handful have survived and Kirkwall’s is one of them.

The game is played by two teams of men, known as the Uppies and the Doonies. The team you are on depends on what side of town you are born, or more commonly these days, where your family loyalties lie. The aim is for the teams to try to carry, kick or smuggle the ba’ (or ball to you and me) to their side of town. The ba’ itself is a special hand-stitched ball filled with cork dust.

The day kicks off at around 10.30am when the first ball is thrown up for the boys game. This game is played by local boys under the age of 16. The men’s game, which usually has around 200 participants, begins at 1pm when the next ball is thrown up in the air. A huge scrum usually ensues and spectators should be aware that the scrum often runs into the crowd!

There is no telling which way the scrum will head and often gets caught up in the various dead ends of the town’s closes and yards. However, there are very few serious incidents during the game. There is no set time for The Ba’ to finish, so there is no telling how long a game will last.

When: 25th December 2019 and 1st January 2020
Where: Kirkwall, Orkney
£: Free

More info: www.bagame.com and www.facebook.com/The-Ba

Related Posts

  • The best alternative ways to bring in the New Year
  • A Boxing Day match with a difference

Tagged With: Christmas events, Free events, New Year events, Orkney events, Scotland

Curiosity of the Week

Woodhenge, Stonehenge’s lesser-known neighbour
Woodhenge - ©English Heritage, Historic England Photo Library

You have heard of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, but have you heard of its lesser known neighbour, Woodhenge? Find out more in our latest Curiosity of the Week…

Top Story

Make some noise for Whitby’s Krampus Run
Whitby Krampus Run 2018 - photo by Cassandra Sutton

As Father Christmas makes his annual visit to towns across the UK this weekend, there’s another, much darker character making his way to Whitby in North Yorkshire…

What are you looking for today?

  • Alternative Sport
  • Art
  • Cabaret and Circus
  • Cinema
  • Classes, Workshops & Talks
  • Club Night
  • Comedy
  • Dance
  • Exhibitions and Installations
  • Fairs and Markets
  • Festival
  • Food & Drink
  • Heritage and History
  • Interview
  • Literature
  • Museum
  • Music
  • Nature and Outdoors
  • Review
  • Science and Technology
  • Theatre
  • Walks and Tours

Sign up to our Newsletter

Copyright © 2023 · Contrary Life