A good reminder that to be British is different from being English! Robbie Burns is the national poet of Scotland, as central to the culture as the kilt is. Tonight it the 263rd celebration of his birthday.
He was born in 1759, at a time when Scots could still remember that it had only become part of Great Britain in the Act of Union in 1707. More important, he was born only 14 years since the Jacobites, led by Bonnie Prince Charlie, invaded England and were defeated at the Battle of Culloden. The English took a dim view of the Scots invading from the north, and retaliated by breaking up the Highland clans, and even banned kilts in an effort to curtail symbols of patriotism. So, he was a Scottish nationalist, celebrating all the aspects of the culture in a typically Scottish two-fingered salute to the Sassenachs. That’s what the Scots call the English, which is Gaelic for “Saxons”.
Burns was something of a literary rebel, with his steadfast commitment to writing in Scots dialect and his passion for collecting and publishing local folk songs and ballads. His undaunted spirit of Scottish nationalism is what makes Burns Night special, celebrated all over the world, wherever there is a diaspora.
There are RULES about the dinner. There’s nothing spontaneous at all about a gathering that follows an official Standard Order, including regulated bagpiping (the best kind), poetry, recitation, and formal toasts.
The guests are piped into the dining room (and GAWD a bagpipe indoors is LOUD). After the host welcomes the guests, someone stands up to give the Selkirk Grace, so called because Burns gave it at a party held by the Earl of Selkirk. "Some hae meat an canna eat, / And some wad eat that want it; / But we hae meat, and we can eat, / And sae the Lord be thankit."
The centrepiece of a traditional Burns Night is a Burns supper, which can be as lavish or low-key as desired, generally involves three crucial elements: haggis, Scotch whisky and (of course) the poetry of the man himself.
Most suppers start off with a soup: the Scotch broth if you’re being traditional, sweet with barley and lamb or a creamy bowl of Cullen skink with plenty of finnan haddie (smoked haddock) if you’re a wee bit fancy. An alternative is cock-a-leekie if you want to honour the (semi) official soup of Scotland, happen to have a lot of leeks in your vegetable patch, or you just like saying cock-a-leekie, and who could blame you?
While I like all of the above soups, am partial to a fine single malt whisky (always spelled WITHOUT an e, BTW), and I love the tatties and neeps mix of potatoes and turnips mashed, the haggis is something of an acquired taste. It’s a mixture of oats, minced up sheep offal (liver, kidney and lungs), with suet, spices, and (gasp) sheep’s blood, slow cooked after being stuffed into the sheep’s stomach. Think of it as a rather big blood pudding sausage, that is boiled until done.
At proper Burns’ night suppers, a piper will precede the entry of the haggis which is paraded about the room.
You cannot eat before being saluted by a recitation of Burns’ Address to the Haggis:
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie [beautiful] face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch [stomach], tripe, or thairm [intestine]:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace
As lang's my airm.
There are eight stanzas which means by the time the haggis is cut into slices (sometimes by a sabre) and gets to your plate, it’s not likely to be hot.
Dessert might well be cranachan (CRA-neh-kinn). A cranachan is a very quick, easy recipe that includes oats, raspberries, cream, malt whisky, and honey. The ingredients are then layered, as you would with a trifle, for a pretty presentation.
In olden days in January, the raspberries wouldn’t be fresh, but rather “bottled”. These days they are frozen or imported.
Following the meal, whisky usually takes centre-stage in an (increasingly raucous) series of toasts, building up to the “address to the lassies” and “reply to the laddies”. As with most Scottish parties, it will end up with dancing, but not to pop music.
Scottish country dancing has a LONG history. Take a look at the best source I’ve found on the subject, which will help you keep your reels separate from your strathspeys and your hornpipes. Click here!
Kiltlock being a thing in the fandom (Well, Watson is a Scots name, after all), you want to do your research! A fic reccie is @anyawen’s kiltlock series, Traditions.
On a personal note, as I am one quarter highlands Scot, when I was a little
girl I learned the sword dance that is shown in the photo above. My great grandmother spoke Gaelic and was a Campbell from the Western Isles. My grandfather always said I inherited my red hair from her - no one else in the family has red hair.