Burns Night, or Burns Supper is a Scottish celebration which was established in 1801 to memorialise the life and legacy of Robert Burns. Every year on 25th January, Robert Burns’ birthday is celebrated – this year it would mark his 264th birthday.
Who was Robert Burns?
Burns was a Bard or Poet, born in Alloway, Scotland on the 25th January 1759. He died 21st July 1796 aged only 37. Burns had a reputation as a ‘dangerous rebel against orthodox religion’ (Britannica), to such an extent that Jean Amour’s father refused to let him marry her, despite her being pregnant.
Burns had many lovers, which reflected in the themes of his songs and poetry. Burns struggled against a society that was controlled by the class system, he rejected ideas and cultural norms that would have been expected from him. ‘He frequently wrote about the gap between the rich and the poor, religion, love, alcohol and what it meant to be Scottish.’ (The Scotsman). Burns wrote poetry that made heavy use of satire and constructed pieces that transcended the class system, giving his work such a unique place in the world of poetry. Burns wrote over 700 pieces of work before his early, tragic death.
How is Burns Night celebrated?
‘Burns Night is traditionally commemorated in Scotland with a Burns Supper, this starts with a cock-a-leekie soup followed by haggis, neeps and tatties and a glass of whisky’ (The Scotsman)
The Burns Supper features Haggis, which is celebrated with a poem by Burns called ‘Address to a Haggis’ and also features a Toast to the Lassies and Toast to the Laddies, which embraces Burns’ writing style and is a fun game to encourage those to bring themselves closer to legacy which Burns left behind. It’s usually a fun, satire speech featuring a toast at the end – full of inside jokes.
Sources
The Scotsman
Britannica
Information on Toasts to the Lassies and Laddies
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