Robert Burns Supper
A Scottish Tradition since 1801
Our Burns Supper
Saturday, January 11, 2025
American Legion Post 108 11401 American Legion Drive Jackson, CA 95642
Starts promptly at 6:00 pm
Menu will include:
Cock-a-Leekie Soup
Green Salad
Balmoral Beef
Salmon en Croute
Neeps & Tatties
Vegetable
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Haggis of course!
What is Burns Supper and why is it celebrated?
What is It?
It is an institution of Scottish life. A night to celebrate the life and works of the national bard - Robert Burns. The poet and lyricist is one of Scotland’s most notable figures. Burns Nights or Burns Suppers can range from an informal gathering of friends to a huge, formal dinner full of pomp & circumstance. The Scottish Parliament considers the celebration of Burns Night each year to be a key cultural heritage event.
The very first Burns Night was held in 1801, and over 200 years later, some of the traditions of that night still exist today.
A Brief History of the Burns Supper
History can trace its origins back to when nine of Robert Burns’ close friends decided to get together on July 21, 1801 to mark the fifth anniversary of their friends death. Taking place at Burns Cottage in Ayrshire, the night included a tasty meal of haggis, performances of Burns’ work and a speech in honor of the great ‘Bard’. The night was deemed such a success, it was decided the occasion would be held again, this time in honor of Rabbie’s birthday. The first Burns Club (which still exists today) was founded in Greenock in 1801 by merchants who were born in Ayrshire, some of whom had known Burns. They held their first Burns supper on what they thought was his birthday, January 29 in 1802. But in 1803, they discovered the Ayr parish records noted his date of birth was actually January 25, 1759. So the tradition was born.
Although not always on the exact same date in January, Burns Suppers are still being held every year by those of Scottish descent all across the world today.
Who was Robert “Rabbie” Burns?
You no doubt may have heard of or even sang ‘Auld Lang Syne’ when ringing in the year. Well, that is just one of the over 550 poems, songs, and letters penned by Burns before his death at the age of 37. The same night his wife gave birth to his ninth son. But who was this man who is still revered over 250 years after his birth?
A Very Brief Background on the Life of Robert “Rabbie” Burns
Burns was born on a wild and windy night, January 25, 1759, two miles south of Ayr, in Alloway, the eldest of the seven children.
Burns grew up in poverty and hardship with his father moving the family from farm to farm working. At a young age, Robert did a full day’s work in the fields and farmland living on a diet of oatmeal and skimmed milk. Although they lived on a farm, meat was much too expensive.
He was given irregular schooling and a lot of his education was by his father, who taught his children reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, history and also wrote for them A Manual of Christian Belief. Burns did learn French and Latin from a couple of sources and was sent to finishing school in 1775, at the age of 16. On the long, dark, bitter cold Scottish nights, Burns was often found huddling under a single candle, with his nose buried in a book. By the time he was 21, he had read Shakespeare, David Hume, his favorite philosopher Adam Smith and everything in between. These books helped to fuel his imagination.
By the time Burns was fifteen, he had already written his first love poems, which were to a farmer's daughter from Dalrymple. It was the beginning of his lifelong love of women and his celebration of them in poems and songs. Burns had many affairs throughout his life, fathering over a dozen children to various women. The handsome, charismatic poet enjoyed the company of women, from society ladies to servant girls.
Throughout the years, while writing poems, letters, and songs, he worked as a farm laborer, flax-dresser, bookkeeper, and exciseman. Today Burns is regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide, unfortunately, like many talented artists who don’t become famous until after death, he lived in poverty his entire life.
By 1790, Burns health began to give way, aging prematurely and fell into fits of despondency. On the morning of July 21, 1976, Burns succumbed to a form of rheumatic fever, which would have been easily treatable today. In those days, however, the cause and remedy of his ailment were unknown, and his demise was likely hastened by a course of sea-bathing in icy salt waters. He was 37.
Statue in Central Park, New York
The Traditional Burns Supper
Burns Suppers vary from club to club, from the informal gathering to a huge, formal dinner. But the general format has remained the same since Burns' friends hosted the first recorded night in his honor.