Today marks the birthday of Robert Burns (25 January 1759), renowned Scottish poet, songwriter and social commentator. Scots world wide, dressed in traditional tartans, will gather to honor him with a traditional Burns Night.
The basic format for the evening remains unchanged since 1796. Guests share a meal of cock-a-leekie soup (or Scotch broth) and haggis with "tatties and neeps" (potatoes and rutabagas), Tipsy Laird (sherry trifle) followed by oatcakes and cheese, all washed down with liberal tots of whiskey. The ‘haggis’ enters the room accompanied by a bagpiper and recitation of Burn’s “Address To A Haggis.’”
Next comes the Selkirk Grace (written by Burns):
Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit
Guests are expected to drink, make humorous speeches, and offer selections of Burn’s work. The evening ends with the singing one of Burns's most famous works, Auld Lang Syne.
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