If you’ve never tried a traditional dish of haggis, neeps, and tatties before, you might not have heard of Scotland’s annual holiday, Burns Night! It’s a national celebration that marks the life of one of the country’s best-loved poets, Robert Burns. Every 25th January, it’s traditional for Scottish people to read his poetry and enjoy feasts – and, in fact, Burns Night is celebrated outside of the UK, too!
If you’re new to this tradition or want to know more about your own heritage, keep reading for some interesting facts about Burns Night, and why it’s so important to millions of Scottish people all over the world every January.
1. Burns Night is marked with a Burns supper every 25th January.
Every 25th January, followers of Robert “Rabbie” Burns come together to set up a traditional meal of haggis, neeps, and tatties to mark his life and work. It’s been celebrated every year since 1801, and while it’s a Scottish tradition, it’s actually marked in territories all over the world. For example, in Canada, it’s known as Robbie Burns Day!
A traditional Burns Night is marked by a bagpiper, who will welcome guests with music as they enter a Burns supper. Formality may vary, too – meaning you might expect a mix of different music as you arrive!
2. The occasion was first held five years after Burns died.
Burns Night wasn’t a fixture in Scottish calendars until some time after Robert Burns passed away – and, in fact, his friends held the very first supper on the fifth anniversary of his passing, back in July 1801. This also led to the founding of Greenock’s Burns Club, which upheld the annual celebrations.
In fact, Burns’ friends intended to hold Burns Night every 29th January, because that’s when they assumed his birthday was – however, records showed he was actually born on 25th January, so the date changed!
3. It’s an occasion for speeches.
At a formal or highly traditional Burns Night, the host of the evening will usually make a speech to welcome guests. There’s usually a song performed at this point, too – a traditional Scottish tune, for example, to help kick off the occasion.
From there, attendees will say grace at the table before supper is usually served. This is a grace known as the Selkirk Grace, so called because Burns had once given it at a dinner where the 4th Earl of Selkirk was in attendance. It’s also known as the Galloway Grace, and dates back to the 17th century.
4. There are several courses in a Burns supper!
If you attend a Burns supper, be prepared to arrive with an empty stomach! There are a few different courses to expect, and the event usually kicks off with a soup course. Again, you can expect a traditional Scottish recipe to begin with – such as a broth or a classic cock-a-leekie. The soup you get is, naturally, down to the choice of the host!
However, the heart of any Burns Night meal is, of course, the haggis! And, yes, it’s quite a curious combination…
5. Haggis is a delicacy that can also be an acquired taste!
Rabbie Burns referred to haggis as the ‘great chieftain o’ the puddin’-race’ – and the way it’s made and cooked is rather unique.
It’s a meat pudding that’s usually made from the offal of sheep and calf, a variety of spices, along with oatmeal and suet. That means it includes organs such as lungs, heart, and liver – before it’s stuffed into the calf or sheep’s stomach and boiled.
It’s often tastier than it sounds – typically, it’s a crumbly, minced dish! However, it’s said to date all the way back to ancient Greece and Rome – don’t say this too loudly at a Burns supper, because it’s now Scotland’s national dish!
6. Neeps and tatties complement haggis well.
Neeps and tatties make up the vegetable portion of the Burns supper, as a soft, mashed accompaniment to the crumbly haggis. It’s typically mashed potato and turnip – though some Burns supper hosts might offer a few different twists!
7. The haggis is piped into the room.
Yes – not only is the haggis served piping hot, it’s piped into the room with music, too! The bagpiper’s job doesn’t end at welcoming guests, because they also need to play a medley of music to honour the meat. While the haggis is brought in on a platter or dish, the bagpiper will play songs such as “Star O’ Robbie Burns” to mark the occasion.
And, while I’ve called haggis “meat” here, you can also buy vegetarian-friendly haggis from many butchers and stores! Otherwise, it’s fairly usual practice for the chef to bring out a vegetarian alternative to the haggis if a nion-meat version isn’t served as-is.
8. There are some classic drinks to expect at a Burns Night supper.
As you might expect, a classic Burns supper is usually marked with a strong malt whisky or two. And, in some cases, the haggis itself is even served soaked in a dram!
If you’re hosting a Burns supper, be sure to check how your guests like to take their drams. In some cases, adding water can improve the flavour of a malt whisky, but some people feel this might water things down. Where in doubt, serve traditional whisky as it’s intended.
Some people might also avoid eating haggis that’s soaked in whisky – so if you are hosting, make sure to offer an alternative, or to stick to a traditional recipe!
9. You don’t have to drink whisky at Burns Night.
Yes – admittedly, whisky might be the Burns Night tipple of choice for many, but not everyone enjoys a single malt. Thankfully, there are plenty of other traditional Scottish drinks you can partake in.
For example, you can always enjoy soft drinks at Burns Night if you don’t drink alcohol at all – and, there’s nothing to say that if you still want to enjoy a tipple, you can’t sip a glass of Scottish red wine or two.
10. A classic Burns poem is read to the haggis before it’s served.
It’s true! Before Burns supper guests tuck into their haggis, neeps, and tatties, they honour it with a reading of one of Robert Burns’ classic works, funnily enough, “Address to a Haggis”! This poem, written and performed by Burns originally in Scottish dialect, is still read out in the intended phrasing and vocabulary to this day.
The Address to a Haggis is usually undertaken by the supper host, or reading duties may fall to a guest who has been chosen for the event. The poem does exactly what it says – it’s an ode to the classic dish, where Burns famously calls it the chieftain o’ the puddin-race.
The poem refers to a haggis’ hearty, filling dish, and how the best warriors are “Rustic, haggis-fed”! The speaker of the poem even follows the lines carefully by drawing their own knife when it’s mentioned in the verses. At this point, the speaker slices open the haggis from one end to the other, ready to serve once the poem reaches its conclusion.
11. There’s more honouring to be done!
The haggis isn’t just the recipient of a full poem, but also a classic toast with malt whisky, where everyone takes part and sits to enjoy the dish. Dig in!
This isn’t the only toast that takes place at a Burns supper, of course, and I’ll get to some of the other remarks guests and hosts make a little further down in this fact file.
12. There’s more than a main course to tuck into.
After the haggis, neeps, and tatties, guests can then expect to enjoy a pudding or dessert course, which might be a classic whisky trifle, otherwise known as a “tipsy laird”. It’s also pretty common to enjoy cheese and oatcakes with whisky (did I mention single malts are a big deal at Burns night?).
At some events, there might even be a coffee course – though, again, this can vary on the host and the Burns supper setup!
13. The first-post dinner toast pays specific tribute to Rabbie Burns.
After dinner is finished, Burns Night typically unfolds into a series of speeches. The first of these is the “immortal memory” toast, which the main host or speaker usually takes on.
In this toast, the speaker refers to Burns’ work, typically drawing on one or two poems, before another recital of his work takes place. The poem or poems referred to, again, can vary depending entirely on the host, the speaker, or what’s lined up for the evening.
If you’re chosen to recite the immortal memory toast, you don’t have to keep it 100% serious – you may wish to draw on a humorous anecdote. It’s usually best to see how guests feel ahead of the event! Regardless, it’s at this point that the main tribute to Robert Burns takes place.
14. The second toast usually pays tribute to those who prepared the feast, but it’s usually aimed at women.
It’s always polite to be grateful to those who make and offer you food! And, at a Burns supper, this is no different. However, it’s often referred to as the “address to the lassies”, and typically pays tribute to women in general (though those who cook and prepare Burns meals nowadays aren’t exclusively women, of course!).
This toast is usually pretty lighthearted and is followed up by a reply or rebuttal of sorts (I’ll get to that in a moment!). At the end of this toast, people in the room are encouraged to drink to women’s health.
15. Men in the room get their turn, too!
Burns supper toasts have evolved hugely over the years, and after the address to the lassies, a female guest in attendance will make a toast to the laddies!
This is something of a reply or a response to the previous toast, once again being fairly tongue-in-cheek. This speech gives tribute to men in the room and complements the speech preceding it – and, again, a toast to health occurs at the end of the speech.
Typically, speakers of both toasts will work together to make sure that what they write and say works together well as a call-and-response of sorts. It’s important to make sure that neither speech or toast is offensive – it’s simply not in the spirit of the evening!
16. There’s still time for songs and poetry.
As a literary tribute, there is still plenty of space left in the evening for some more recitals and even a few songs. Many people will choose to recite their own favourite works by Burns to seal off the evening, for example.
However, it’s not unheard of for non-Scottish visitors to be invited to recite their own national poetry or songs if the host deems it appropriate! There’s usually no official “end time” for a Burns supper, meaning that music and recitals can keep on going until guests are ready to leave!
That said, there’s just one final part of Burns Night to close off any traditional supper.
17. Everyone sings a famous song at the end of Burns Night.
The end of a Burns supper usually involves one of the guests nominated by the host (or the host themselves) giving a vote of thanks, before everyone is encouraged to stand and join in a recital of Auld Lang Syne. It’s a song that’s frequently sung across the UK at the strike of 12 on New Year’s Day, but is also commonly sung to mark the end of another Burns Night.
At the point where people sing the line “and there’s a hand, my trusty fiere,” people join their own hands and finish the song as one. That officially closes the Burns supper!
18. Burns wrote poetry and lyrics alike.
As you’ve probably realised from this article so far, Burns Night is all about reciting songs and poetry – and it just so happens that he was a famous lyricist, too. In fact, he wrote Auld Lang Syne, meaning most of the UK hears his work at least once a year, whether they are fans of his work or otherwise!
If you’re keen to learn more about the songs of Rabbie Burns, it’s well worth checking out his “Melodies of Scotland”, which features more than 100 different tunes and lyrics that people typically share on Burns Night.
19. Burns died a pauper.
For all his name is revered and has been over the centuries, Robert Burns reportedly died with very little to his name. History suggests he might have only had as little as a £1 in money when he passed away.
Thankfully, his legacy lives on long after he passed away – and it’s likely it will endure for as long as we continue to enjoy poetry and to celebrate Burns Night every year!
20. Burns’ work has been to space.
Interestingly, Burns hasn’t just been celebrated on Earth! He’s one of very few poets to have had works head into orbit, with an astronaut by the name of Nicholas Patrick taking a book of Burns’ writings into space in 2010.
It’s thought that the book managed to traverse a blistering nine million km – making it one of the best-travelled tomes of all time!
21. You can explore Burns’ work beyond one night a year.
While Burns Night is a fantastic celebration of Robert Burns’ work, it’s also a great launchpad for people to start exploring his work. There’s a reason why he’s still so revered as a wordsmith!
One of the best ways to start exploring Burns’ poetry and traditions around the yearly Burns supper is to check out social media content – Instagram and TikTok, for example, have tons of excerpts and Burns supper ideas you can dive into.
However, for a more hands-on experience, you should certainly check out the Mitchell Library, based in Glasgow. Take a trip into the city and you’ll find the biggest collection of poems and songs written by Burns together in one place. After all, physical books are better than digital ones – right?
FAQs About Burns Night
What is Burns Night, and why is it celebrated?
Burns Night is a yearly celebration of the life and work of Robert Burns, arguably Scotland’s most famous poet and lyricist. For many people, it’s also a great way to dive into Scottish culture and to experience traditional food, drink, and entertainment – even if you’re not Scottish!
Is Burns Night celebrated in America?
Yes! Many communities in the US celebrate Burns Night, typically those who are Scottish and who have settled across the pond. However, it’s also celebrated by people who have Scottish heritage and lineage, and many people from all over the world are invited to bring their own touches to traditional suppers.
What does haggis taste like?
Haggis is a crumbly, minced dish that tastes a little bit like sausage, with a rough oaty texture and a strong, warming, peppery aftertaste. It goes down wonderfully with a dram of whisky and mashed neeps and tatties (turnip and potato).
Further reading
https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/robertburns/burns_night_running_order.shtml
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/burns-night-recipes
Do you know any interesting facts about Burns Night? Share them in the comments below!