Burns Night
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
This is an Annual event peculiar to the Scots, and any visitors they happen to have at the time. It celebrates the life and work of Robert Burns (1759-1796), Scotlands most famous poet/writer.
Celebrations occur on the 25th of January, and can range from the stentoriously formal gatherings of scholars and teachers, down to informal rave-ups of drunkards and louts. In effect, this means that you will be very hard-pressed to find a sober Scotsman on this night.
The night in question usually follows a time honored form which includes the eating of a traditional Scottish meal, the drinking of Scotch whisky(and numerous other alcoholic beverages), and the recitation of works by the bard.
One of the aspects peculiar to this night is the meal itself. It comprises of Haggis, neeps*, and tatties*.
The most entertaining part of the meal is the address of the Haggis. This is traditionally spoken by a drunken scotsman in the uniform of a chef, prior to cutting into the haggis and serving to the guests. Much amusement can be had from the attempts of a modern scot trying to pronounce this traditional address
