Ba game is a version of medieval football played in Scotland, primarily in Orkney and the Scottish Border (where the photos below come from)

Ba is basically mob football, or village football, where two parts of a town have to get a ball to goals on their respective sides. The two sides are called the uppies or the downies, depending on which part of town they were born, or otherwise owe allegiance to. The ball must be manhandled, and play often takes the form of a moving scrum. The game moves through the town, at times going up alleyways, into yards and through streets. Shops and houses board up their windows to prevent damage. Unlike traditional mob football, people are generally not hurt from play.

In Jedburgh (photos below), play starts at the Mercat Cross in the centre of the town. The uppies, who first entered the town or were born south of the Mercat Cross, hail (score) the ba at the top of the Castlegate by throwing the ba over a fence at the Castle. The downies, who first entered the town or were born to the north, hail by rolling the ba over a drain (hailing used to be done by throwing the ba over a burn which has now been built over, the drain is directly above the burn) in the road at a street just off the bottom of High Street.

The laddies' game starts at midday and the men's game at 2pm. Both games run until the last ba has been hailed. Most years this means that both games are running at the same time. There is no boundary as to where the game is played, with most of the play occurring in the town centre. This can prove awkward for shoppers, trying to avoid getting caught up in the game, and shopkeepers, who put shutters on their doors and windows.

Photos: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-47170409
Info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_game

More photos from recent Ba game in Jedburgh on the Scottish/English border.

Can an African understand this "madness"?

decatalyst:
Can an African understand this "madness"?

no