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Burns night
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Celebrating the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns
Burns night is the 25 January, and in 2012 is a Wednesday; around the world, people will be holding Burns Suppers to celebrate the life and birth of Robert Burns. Son of a poor tenant farmer in Scotland, he authored Auld Lang Syne and many other well known poems and lyrics.
Scotland's answer to William Shakespeare, the Burns night celebrations can take on a rather formal air, with customs and proceedings following a 250 year old tradition, but undoubtedly most celebrations are an excuse to indulge in the pleasures of haggis, whisky, traditional Scottish pipe music and of course, the poetry of Robert Burns.
This portrait of Robert Burns is in the public domain. The original painting by Alexander Nasmyth is held in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
Scotland's answer to William Shakespeare, the Burns night celebrations can take on a rather formal air, with customs and proceedings following a 250 year old tradition, but undoubtedly most celebrations are an excuse to indulge in the pleasures of haggis, whisky, traditional Scottish pipe music and of course, the poetry of Robert Burns.
This portrait of Robert Burns is in the public domain. The original painting by Alexander Nasmyth is held in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
Piping in the Haggis
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.
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.
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Enjoy Robert Burns on Kindle
The time honoured address to the Haggis
spoken before carving.
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin'-race.
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang's my arm.
Great chieftain o the puddin'-race.
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang's my arm.
The basic running order and protocol
for a Burns Night Supper.
- Burns Night from the BBC
- This running order covers all the key elements you need to plan and structure a Burns Supper that suits your intentions.
Let's have a song
A truly great, Acapella rendition of Robert Burns' My Luve is Like a Red Red Rose, by Kenneth Mckellar.
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These guys will really get the party rocking
A typical performance by Albannach, quite simply the most sensational Scottish drum band on the planet.
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Get up and dance
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The Burns Night celebration closes
with a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
and never brought to mind
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Traditional Scottish haggis with neeps and tatties
and a nourishing whisky sauce
I offer below an authentic Scottish recipe for haggis, but to be honest, most people buy their haggis pre-prepared. Then they only need to be simmered for about 75 mins per kilo, or baked in an oven at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for about 45 mins per pound. Incidentally, if you have sympathy with the type of Scotsman that insists on having underwear beneath the kilt, you might find that sheep's lungs and stomach are not to your taste, and be grateful that there is a vegetarian haggis available.
The neeps and tatties is simply mashed turnips, often with some swede, and potatoes.
The whisky sauce speaks for itself.
The neeps and tatties is simply mashed turnips, often with some swede, and potatoes.
The whisky sauce speaks for itself.
- Haggis recipe.
- An authentic Scottish recipe published by the BBC.
- Haggis with neeps and tatties.
- A good recipe for neeps and tatties from chef Simon Rimmer.
- Haggis, neeps, tatties and whisky sauce.
- Another memorable contribution from the Hairy Bikers, with an inspired recipe for whisky sauce. Hey, who needs haggis?
Braw Burns Birthday
In celebration of the bard's birthday, the National Trust for Scotland is holding a Braw Burns Birthday with 24 hours of events spread across Scotland, from Alloway to Aberdeen.
- Programme of events
- The programme of events, which includes music, club, comedy, debating, suppers, and plenty of whisky, begins at 17.59 on 24 January, 2012.
O would some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us.
Robert Burns
Any ideas or suggestions for improving this lens will be much appreciated.
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Spook
Jan 27, 2012 @ 2:35 pm | delete
- Enjoyed the read and Auld Lang Sine (sp?), has always been one of my favourites. Hoots mon itsae nae brae moonlight night.
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CDT
Jan 26, 2012 @ 6:00 am | delete
- My husband is Scottish and we should have had haggis for dinner yesterday but we forgot to get it out of the freezer in time (you could easily kill someone by hitting them with a frozen haggis you know...) so Burns Night dinner has been delayed for 24 hours (although he did mark the occasion with a generous measure of a nice Malt yesterday evening!). No neeps or tatties either...we're not very organised but it's the thought that counts :D Have a Burns Night SquidAngel blessing in honour of Scotland's finest!
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Edutopia
Jan 15, 2012 @ 1:28 pm | delete
- I knew of this guys poems but never knew it was him that penned them. A great poet worthy of his own day. Thanks for the lens!
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juliavm
Jan 15, 2012 @ 1:57 am | delete
- Loved watching the videos. Especially the folk dance, and the Scottish drum band.
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jimmyworldstar
Jan 14, 2012 @ 11:33 pm | delete
- I've heard of him as a poet but didn't know people actually celebrated a day dedicated to him. I guess he was a Scottish icon since it's a big cultural thing too apparently.
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baby-strollers
Jan 14, 2012 @ 1:08 am | delete
- Good ol Robbie Burns sure makes the rounds! One day that we are all Scottish.
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StacyBirch Jan 13, 2012 @ 11:53 pm | delete
- That's hard to read, I don't want to see myself as others do, I might not like what they see.
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reasonablerobinson
Jan 13, 2012 @ 5:47 pm | delete
- It's my birthday too!
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fullofshoes
Jan 13, 2012 @ 10:16 am | delete
- very much enjoyed reading this lens.
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tvyps
Jan 13, 2012 @ 4:46 am | delete
- Interesting to learn about someone from across the sea! Blessed!
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SecondHandJoe
Jan 12, 2012 @ 1:18 pm | delete
- Awesome videos! real nice lens! I e-mailed my dad about the correct wording of the writing above- Oh would some power. . . Thank you! Stop by and say hello!
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Geeve
Jan 12, 2012 @ 3:12 pm | delete
- Thanks Joe,
Yes I have seen it written "O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us" but this is really an attempt to write old Scottish dialect, and as such, the meaning would probably be lost on most visitors to the lens.
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ximifx
Jan 11, 2012 @ 8:08 pm | delete
- Great poet!. Brings me memories from when I lived in Scotland for a few years (Linlithgow, Perth, Falkirk).
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BuddyBink
Jan 11, 2012 @ 7:43 pm | delete
- Never heard of Burns night but, I do like the performance by Albannach. Thanks
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artyfax Jan 11, 2012 @ 10:11 am | delete
- Always wondered what happened on Burn's night. Thanks for the info.
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Quality Scottish costume
Fun World Costumes Men's Mens Big Shot Scott
Amazon Price: (as of 05/30/2012)
Everything you need to brag it!
Sold as a fun costume, but previous buyers have received plenty of compliments when wearing it, and assumed that as a real Scotsman, they could reveal what they wore underneath the kilt.
A handy guide to the Burns Night Supper
Burns Supper Companion
Amazon Price: $8.54 (as of 05/30/2012)
This is a very popular item, and other buyers have frequently bought at the same time:
Poems and Songs (Dover Thrift Editions) by Robert Burns Paperback $3.00
A Night Out with Robert Burns: The Greatest Poems by Robert Burns Paperback $11.25
Burns Night Supper in a can
Complete Burns Supper Presentation Pack : Scottish Haggis, Neeps & Tatties
Amazon Price: $32.95 (as of 05/30/2012)
