Why Do Scots Celebrate Burns Night?
It is a lot easier to understand why Scots celebrate Burns Night with whisky than grasp why they celebrate the night itself. Scotch single malt whisky is the center table drink for any UK resident and only a very few residents do not boast a personal whisky library. So, what is Burns Night and why do they celebrate it?
Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, is honored each year on January 25. The poet died at the age of 37 in 1796 and is regarded as the most prominent poet in the Scots dialect. The poet is known for his poems To a Mouse, a Red, Red Rose, and the Selkirk Grace
How the Scots Started Celebrating Burns Night
Traditionally, Burns Night is marked with a dinner of haggis, neeps, tatties, and potatoes. On July 21, 1801, Burns’ five anniversary of his death, his friends gathered to pay homage to him at Burns Cottage in Alloway, near Ayr, where he was born.
They read aloud some of Burns’ works and poetry during the celebration, including one poem entitled Address to a Haggis, recited as they ate haggis and sheep’s heads. The event marked the beginning of a 200 year old tradition that has spread across Scotland. Burns clubs have been formed across the nation in honor of the poet.
According to the BBC, the celebration was switched in 1802, from Burns’ death date to his birth date. However, they initially miscalculated the date, meeting four days after his actual birth date.
In 1803, members of the Greenock Burns Club, the club known as the ‘mother club’, discovered through Ayr parish records that Burns was actually born on 25 January. With Burns Suppers, he has been celebrated for more than 200 years.
The eldest child of William Burns and Agnes Broun, Burns was born in 1759 in Alloway, South Ayrshire. By his 15th birthday, Burns was the primary laborer. Burns was depicted as a ploughman’s poet because of his farming upbringing.