Traditional Burns Night fare; haggis, neeps and tatties. And a wee dram to wash it down.
Although there is a defined structure to the way a "Burns Supper" is to be carried out, the whole purpose of the night is to feast in Scottish culture. From the start of the night there is the "Selkirk Grace" although said in English, to the untrained ear it can sound almost Germanic. Following on from this is the Haggis. (a tradition Scottish dish) This Bag is piped into the room and the "Toast to the Haggis" is said. When done correctly this is the defining moment of a traditional "Burns Supper." This is commonly followed by a small "nip" of whiskey. At this point the haggis is served to the guests, normally accompanied by neeps, and tatties (mashed turnip, and mashed potato to those unaccustomed to the Scottish tongue).
If you would be able to say this sober, you will certainly struggle half cut, as many a people that have fallen victim to the great words of Burns will testify. It would be fair to say that a true "Burns Supper" is generally a very drunken affair. However, this is not the true purpose of the night. The true purpose of the night is to enjoy the company of good friends and acquaintances, while also enjoying good food (which I will happily say Haggis is), and the occasional good "nip" of whiskey.
Note by Cathrene I was collating a series of Burns Night Events for the CD-Traveller events list, and thought it would be a good idea to write something about the night as well, just so that the Non-Scots amongst us know what it is all about. So my thanks to Daniel Campbell for this article.
I have only ever attended two, and both of these were in Hamburg, Germany (and admittedly centred around the tasking of Whiskey!) so I did not feel it was the best representation of a typical evening, especially as I ended up giving the Toast to the Laddies on one occasion! I would therefore like to thank Danny for his contribution to this week's CD-Traveller, and hope that it inspires some of you to attend the evening.
There are a handful of probably 1000's of events in the UK listed in our events list. However, I am reassured by Danny, that a simple Google search of local Robert Burns Societies would glean "local", accurately executed evenings in even the smallest villages in Scotland.
PS: I agree, haggis IS delicious! Do NOT be off put by the description – and they also make some tasty vegetarian versions which mean that ANYONE can join in.