Date Published 23 January 2025
On January 25th, Scotland celebrates Burns' Night with haggis, neeps, tatties, and whisky (or Irn Bru for the kids). A highlight is reciting Robert Burns' To a Haggis, where he calls it the "great chieftain o' the pudding race":
"Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great Chieftain o' the Puddin-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang 's my arm."
When asked about haggis, Scots joke it's a small creature with shorter legs on one side, letting it run uphill in a clockwise direction. Approach it the other way, and it topples over!
Robert Burns, Scotland's famous poet, wrote iconic poems like Auld Lang Syne and Scots Wha Hae. Though born in Ayrshire, he spent much time in Edinburgh, where his legendary exploits made him a local fixture—many pubs claim he drank there.
Burns also had a passionate affair with Agnes McLehose, writing under the names "Sylvander" and "Clarinda." She's buried in Canongate graveyard.
While St Andrew's Day is Scotland's official national day, Burns' Night has become the unofficial one, offering a perfect excuse for a mid-winter celebration.
Happy Burns' Night!
