Every year on January 25th, Scots around the world celebrate the life and legacy of one of their most iconic and influential countrymen: the poet, Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns.
For many, Burns Night is a lively evening full of unique and entertaining traditions – complete with song, storytelling, and Scottish pride. But there’s no right way to celebrate this bard’s birthday; while some enjoy rowdy festivities full of drink and dancing, others prefer a quiet night in with loved ones.
However, whether you’ve been invited to your first formal Burns Night Supper or you’re thinking about throwing your own celebration, you might be wondering what some of the usual features of this proud occasion are. With this in mind, we’ve pulled together a beginners’ guide to Burns Night.
What is Burns Night?
Hailing from a poor farming family from Scotland’s Ayrshire coast, Robert Burns is Scotland’s national bard – much like William Shakespeare is in England. Over his short lifetime (he died in 1759 at age 37), Burns penned some of the world’s most famous literary works – including poems ‘To a Mouse’ and ‘Tam O’ Shanter’, and the song ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
Embracing the Scots language, Burns’ writings explored themes like love, religion, injustice, and the plight of the poor. He’s one of Scotland’s most important cultural icons – even appearing on the Clydesdale Bank £10 note.
The first Burns Night supper was celebrated by his friends in 1801 but has since developed into a tradition for Scots worldwide. Taking place on the 25th of January (Burns’ birthday), it’s an opportunity not just to celebrate the life and works of a literary icon but Scottish identity and culture in general.
How is Burns Night celebrated?
An illustration of a traditional Burns Night Supper
A traditional Burns Night celebration is called a Burns Supper. These are usually hosted by restaurants, Burns clubs, or individuals – involving plenty of tartan, some hearty Scottish fare, folk music, and readings of Burns’ poetry.
There’s a traditional order of service for a Burns Supper that’s remained more or less the same since the original Burns Night in 1801. You can find out more about this on the BBC website.
However, you don’t need to organise a formal dinner complete with a bagpipe band to take part. There are plenty of other ways to raise a toast to ‘Rabbie’ Burns – whether by organising a quiet gathering or swapping out the traditional music for some modern Scottish belters.
Below, we’ve covered some key aspects of a Burns Night celebration.
1. Dress
At a formal Burns Night supper, men usually wear traditional Highland Dress. This includes a dress shirt and tie, a Prince Charlie jacket, brogues with kilt socks, a sporran (traditional pocketed pouch), an ornamental knife called a sgian dubh, and, of course, a tartan kilt.
On the other hand, women conventionally wear a slightly simpler outfit consisting of a tartan skirt paired with a blouse and tartan sash.
However, if there’s no specified dress code for your Burns Night celebration, you can, of course, wear whatever you like – though a splash of tartan is always recommended. You could choose something bold like a tartan suit or dress, or add a tartan accent with a tie, scarf, or waistcoat.
Wearing tartan isn’t just a chance for people to express their Scottishness but their family identity, too, as many wear the traditional pattern associated with their clan. If you don’t have connections to any of the major Scottish clans, there are patterns open for anyone to wear – such as the Royal Stewart. You can find out more about family tartans on the Clan website.
Another thing worth mentioning is that non-Scottish attendees of a formal Burns Night can generally wear kilts. As long as it’s done so thoughtfully, most Scots see foreigners wearing kilts to occasions like these as a sign of cultural respect, not appropriation.
Check out these articles from the Guardian and the Gentlemen’s Journal for more ideas for what to wear to a Burns Night celebration.
2. Music
Music plays a key role in many Burns Night celebrations. For example, at a traditional supper, guests are often welcomed by a live bagpipe performance. The bagpipers also ‘pipe in’ the main culinary event, the haggis, as it’s paraded on a silver platter from the kitchen to the ‘high table’ where the host and speakers sit.
After dinner is served at a formal Burns Night Supper, entertainers typically perform one or two of Burns’ songs alongside poetry readings. And, to close the proceedings, guests are invited to take part in a rendition of ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
Those hosting smaller, more informal events could play traditional Scottish music via a phone and speakers. There are plenty of premade playlists on Spotify – such as this one. Or you can choose more modern songs – as The Scots Magazine says, “any tune steeped in Scottish pride should do it.” They recommend artists like the Proclaimers, Paolo Nutini, and KT Tunstall. This playlist by VisitScotland has some great ideas.
3. Food
For many, the food is one of the most memorable parts of any Burns Night.
A warming bowl of Scottish soup is a common starter – whether cock-a-leekie or Cullen skink (which features smoked haddock and some warming winter vegetables). Both are satisfying but light and go well with a chunk of crusty bread. Or, if finger food is more appropriate for your event, why not try these blinis with smoked salmon and dill pâté from Delicious?
For the main course, haggis, neeps (swede), and tatties (potatoes) are typically served – this recipe from BBC Good Food will show you how to prepare them. You can also buy plant-based haggis for any veggie or vegan guests – the Macsween’s one comes highly recommended. Beef, salmon, steak pie, and game birds (like grouse or pheasant) are common alternatives.
As we’ve mentioned, at a traditional Burns Night event, the haggis is paraded out and placed before the host. Next, a speaker reads from Burns’ poem ‘Address to a Haggis’ and, with the line “His knife see Rustic-labour dight’, cuts the haggis casing longways, letting the filling spill out.
If you’re keen to take part in this tradition, we recommend piercing the haggis casing to let the pressure out before cutting on the table near guests. This can prevent it from exploding and showering your guests with piping-hot chunks of meat.
For dessert, Tipsy Laird (Scottish trifle), Clootie Dumpling (a Scottish steamed pudding), and Cranachan (a traditional treat made with oats, cream, and raspberries) are popular choices.
Dessert is often followed by a cheese board featuring Scottish products like Lanark Blue and Isle of Mull Cheddar. This post from The Wee Larder can help you fashion a tasty Burns Night cheese board. The BBC Good Food website also has more Burns Night recipe inspiration.
4. Drinks
Drinks – particularly alcoholic ones – are also common features of Burns Night revelries. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that Scotch whisky is a mainstay and even plays a role in traditional ceremonies.
For example, you might find whisky bearers filling people’s glasses during the various toasts and some people even pour a splash of it over their haggis. Burns loved whisky and wrote about it in works like ‘John Barleycorn’ and ‘The Author’s Earnest Cry and Prayer’.
If you’re not a whisky drinker, other popular choices include ale and red wine – but, again, there are no steadfast rules for Burns Night, so you enjoy whatever you fancy. If you’re not an alcohol drinker, why not sample another drink famous for its Scottishness: Irn Bru?
Check out the BBC Good Food website for more Burns Night drink ideas.
5. Toasts, speeches, and poetry readings
No Burns night is complete without some readings from the pioneering poet’s works. We’ve already mentioned the address to the haggis, but another important reading at traditional suppers is ‘The Selkirk Grace’ (also known as ‘Burns’s Grace at Kirkcudbright’), which is recited before the food is brought out.
The host may also choose other poems to be recited. Classic choices include ‘Tam O’Shanter’, ‘To a Louse’, and ‘Holy Wilie’s Prayer’, but it’s completely down to personal preference.
As well as readings, there are plenty of speeches and toasts during a traditional Burns Night Supper. After the Haggis is addressed, the attendants typically raise their glasses and shout, ‘The haggis!’ The main speaker will also deliver what’s called ‘The Immortal Memory’, a speech detailing the life and legacy of Robert Burns.
Another important part of a traditional Burns Night Supper is the ‘Toast to the Lassies’. This is an often humorous but genuine speech celebrating women and goodnaturedly poking fun at the relationships between the sexes.
This is followed later in the evening by a reply from the women, where they can get their own back. As well as some lighthearted lampooning, these speeches often contain references to Burns’ life and quotes from his works, as seen in these examples.
Traditional proceedings often conclude with a vote of thanks, where the host expresses gratitude to the guests and anyone who contributed to the festivities.
6. Dance
A ceilidh (pronounced kay–lee) is a traditional Scottish and Irish dance/social gathering that’s long been associated with Burns Night. Ceilidhs sometimes form part of a Burns Night Supper itinerary or are separate events in their own right.
What’s unique about a ceilidh is that every step of the dances is ‘called’ or explained – meaning anyone can take part, regardless of their experience.
There are plenty of public Burns Night ceilidhs thrown all over the UK – you can find your nearest one here. And to see what a Scottish ceilidh is all about, check out the video below.
Final thoughts…
There’s no right way to celebrate Burns Night – some people organise quizzes while others read poems they’ve composed especially for the occasion. However, we hope this brief guide has given a good idea of what you can expect from your first Burns Night event – or even inspired you to throw your own.
If you don’t fancy organising your own celebration, why not join a Burns club or see whether any pubs or restaurants near you are organising any special events? And to discover more about cultural celebrations around the world, check out our articles on Diwali and Eid al-Fitr.
Are you celebrating Burns Night this year? If so, what are your plans? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.