Burns Night

The birthday of Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796) has become an occasion for Scotsmen, their descendents, and their romantic wannabes, to gather together wherever they may be to the lilt of bagpipers and the strains of Burns’ poetry. Celebrants traditionally enter the rooms with the shout, “Hail Great Chieftan o’ the Puddin-Race.” While the drinking of Scotch (and the requisite carousing that often attends it) typically marks such festivities, the traditional celebration is a grand dinner. The bill of faire generally includes roast lamb, haggis (a Scots sausage of mutton, offal, and grain), boiled potatoes, and shortbread for dessert.