Raise a Toast to Scotland with Burns Night

It’s not only Hogmanay (December 31st) that gives Scots an excuse for a party; Burns Night (January 25th) is traditionally the time each year when Scotland’s Bard, Robert Burns, is celebrated on the anniversary of his birth.  Scotland is host to many events to mark the occasion, from music as well as a traditional ceilidh.  Revellers can top the night off with a plate of haggis, neeps and tatties and a dram of whisky.

After enjoying the food, Scotland fans can then follow in the Bard’s footsteps across Scotland, including his birthplace, Alloway in Ayrshire – home to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum – and Dumfries, which is home to places such as Ellisland Farm (built by Robert Burns as his home in 1788) and the Globe Inn pub (established in 1610 and regularly frequented by Burns and home to some fascinating memorabilia).

Burns travels 

The Bachelors’ Club in Tarbolton.

Locations with a Burns connection are fascinating and certainly worth visiting on a trip to Scotland, including the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, South Ayrshire.  There is also an opportunity to visit the home of Souter Johnnie, who was immortalised in a famous Burns poem, in Kirkoswald.  Other Burns attractions in Ayrshire include the Bachelors’ Club in Tarbolton, the 17th century thatched cottage where Burns established his debating club, and the Burns House Museum in Mauchline where Robert Burns lived and worked between 1784 and 1788.  Burns enthusiasts, or anyone simply interested in seeing a beautiful corner of Scotland, can take a trip to Dumfries & Galloway. Burns’ former home Ellisland Farm is now a museum where some of his original writings and possessions are on display.

A welcome sight for those in search of warmth and comfort (and perhaps a whisky), the Globe Inn in Dumfries is notable in that it is one of the country’s oldest hostelries and used to be frequented by Burns himself.  It is rumoured that anyone who dares sit in Burns’ old chair (which is still at the bar) is challenged to recite a line of his poetry and buy everyone a drink at the bar.  Whilst in Dumfries, visitors can also spend an afternoon at Burns’ final home, Robert Burns House, on the aptly named Burns Street. Discover the famous Kilmarnock and Edinburgh editions of Burns’ work and take a look around the study where he wrote some of his best-loved poems.   The Burns Mausoleum, the final resting place for Burns, his widow Jean, and five of their children, is also only a short walk away in St Michael’s Kirkyard.

Robert Burns’ connections with Scotland’s capital have long been celebrated.  On 28 November 1786 when Robert Burns arrived in Edinburgh its gates were flung open to him. He stayed on Baxter’s Close in a house which has been demolished and is now Deacon Brodie’s Tavern on the Royal Mile.  Also based on the city’s Royal Mile, the Writers’ Museum has a permanent Robert Burns collection which is recognised to have national significance.  Displayed in the museum is a collection of portraits of Burns along with the writing desk from his Dumfries home at which he wrote some of his best-known work.  Whilst in Edinburgh, fans of Burns will be able to see one of the most famous portraits at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery – Alexander Nasmyth’s portrait of Robert Burns.

Hosting a Burns Supper

Along with haggis, neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes), here are the instructions for a perfect gathering on 25 January.  To start – everyone gathers, the host says a few words, everyone sits and the Selkirk Grace is said.  The meal – the starter is served, the haggis is piped in (by a piper in a kilt naturally), the host performs Address to a Haggis, everyone toasts the haggis and the main meal is served, followed by dessert (cranachan is a great option.)

After the meal, the first Burns recital is performed, the Immortal Memory (the main tribute speech to Burns) is given, the second Burns recital is performed, and then there’s a Toast to the Lassies, followed by a Reply to the Toast to the Lassies, before the final Burns recital is performed.  To end the night – the host gives a vote of thanks, everyone stands and sings Auld Lang Syne, crossing their arms and joining hands at the line ‘And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!’.

See our events page for a list of Burns Suppers taking place in both January and February. Ever wanted to host a Burns supper but not sure how?  For VisitScotland’s full Burns Night guide check out www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/events/burns-night/events-guide. For access to the Burns works indicated, see www.robertburns.org

Main photo: Haggis, neep and tatties. Photo: VisitScotland.

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