BURNS NIGHT

25th January
ROBERT BURNS

• Best known Scottish poet

• Wrote romantic poems both in
English and Scottish
• In 2009 voted as the greatest Scot
by public voting

25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796

Burns Night
• Scots all round the world celebrate 25th January
as Burns Night
• People have Burns Supper – a celebration of
the life and poetry of Robert Burns
• People have a special dinner that usually
follows a set pattern
Burns supper
• guests are piped in (by bagpipes)
to take their places at the dining table.
• The guests are welcomed by the host,
who declares the celebrations open.
• The Selkirk Grace is read and supper begins
The dinner
• a soup course (often the Scottish favourite Cock-A-
Leekie soup).
• the haggis, a traditional Scottish dish (not for the faint-
hearted!) is piped in from the kitchen while the guests
stand and clap the haggis in.
• The host or an invited guest reads Burn's famous poem,
Address To A Haggis, cutting open the haggis with a
large knife
• The haggis is eaten with mashed tatties and neeps
(potatoes and turnip, swede.)
• dessert (often sherry trifle) and oatcakes and cheese.
 Afterwards
• After dinner there will be a toast to the Queen
• one of the guests will give a short speech about
Burns called "The Immortal Memory".
• A man makes a "Toast to the Lassies" and a
lady makes a toast in reply.
• Guests will take turns reading Burns poems,
singing Burns songs and possibly doing some
Highland dancing!
• The party will close with everyone singing
Auld Lang Syne