Each year on 25th January, Scotland and its diaspora marks the annual celebration of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, through the ritual of the Burns Supper.
Robert Burns is one of Scotland’s most important literary figures and is best known for his famous, and often humorous, songs and poetry. Burns is regarded as Scotland’s National Bard. Robert Burns is to Scotland what Shakespeare is to England.
More commonly known as Rabbie, Burns was born to a poor family in Alloway, Ayr, (about 40 minutes south of Glasgow) on 25 January 1759 and began his working life on the family farm. As Burns grew older, his passion for Scotland and his dynamic, contemporary vision played an important role in inspiring the founders of liberalism. His literary fame began when his first work Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, later known as the Kilmarnock Edition, was published in 1786 after which his writing career flourished.
Despite Rabbie’s short life (37 years), he enjoyed an eventful life and produced an astonishing amount of great literary work during his career. Burns is famous for his political views, revolutionary behavior and his love for the lassies, all of which can be seen in his extensive catalog of work.
Burns was also inspired by the beauty of Scotland, particularly the breathtaking scenery of Ayrshire, his birthplace, and the romantic setting of his later home region of Dumfries & Galloway. Although more than 200 years have passed since his death, Burns remains one of the most celebrated figures in Scottish history and culture, demonstrated by the annual Burns Night celebrations held across the country on 25 January each year.
The Address to a Haggis is one of Robert Burns’ most famous and regularly performed poems. No Burns Supper is complete without this pomp and ceremony in tribute to Scotland’s national dish. Luckily for any incentive groups coming to Scotland, they are in safe hands. MICEport’s DMC in Scotland, Hello Scotland’s own Bill Thomson is a master of the Address to a Haggis and delivers it with enthusiasm and gusto.
The end of any celebration in Scotland is rounded off by a rousing version of Auld Lang Syne, another well-loved Rabbie Burns influenced piece of prose. If an incentive or meeting group comes to Scotland, Hello Scotland can recreate the “Address to a Haggis” for an unforgettable final night gala.
Happy Burns Night!
For more information and unique Scotland experiences for North American groups, contact MICEport at inspireus@miceport.com
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