While the Highlands have their Games and the Borders have their Riding of the Marches , the communities of  the mining towns and fishing villages of central Scotland come together for their annual Gala Day. Some claim that the origins lie in the celebrations of the crowds that gathered at the gallows to witness a “guid hanging” while in more recent times they were a day of cheer in the otherwise bleak existence of industrial communities. Today many of the traditions persist as communities pull together to deliver a special family day with bands, bunting and a coronation.