Burns is still playing a major role in Scottish society worldwide - Angus Robertson

Robert BurnsRobert Burns
Robert Burns
It’s Robert Burns Season and Scotland’s national bard is being celebrated at home and around the world. The scale of events across all continents is hugely impressive.

Researchers from Glasgow University list more than 2500 contemporary Burns Suppers and Burns Night events, spreading across the six continents and nearly 150 countries.

Scotland has the most, with over 800 Burns Suppers listed, England has more than 400, continental Europe has over 200, while there are around 250 in the eastern USA and Canada and the same on the west coast. Australia has more than 60 and New Zealand more than 30. Southernmost listing has been the Antarctica Burns Supper and most northerly, the Burns Night in Longyearbyen, on Svalbard.

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This year in Burns’ home region the Big Burns Supper includes over 150 events taking place in Dumfries from comedy and music to the world’s first underwater Burns Supper. 

In Edinburgh; Burns & Beyond is a series of events hosted online and across the city to celebrate the life and legacy of Robert Burns, including the Big Burns ceilidh at the National Museum of Scotland, storytelling events and Burns Supper celebrations.

In Glasgow, Celtic Connections is hosting a number of Burns Night events across the city, including an outdoor strip the willow down Sauchiehall Street and a Burns Night concert at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

These are the Burns Supper events that have been listed over recent years, but many have not yet been recorded. It’s all very different from the early days when the first Burns supper was held in 1801 when nine of Burns’ close friends got together to mark the fifth anniversary of their friend’s death. Held at Burns Cottage in Alloway, Burns’ friends ate bountiful quantities of haggis and gave performances of Burns’ work and a speech in honour of the great Bard, which is now known as the Immortal Memory.

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The night was such a resounding success they decided to hold it again, though from then on, it was held in honour of Rabbie’s birthday. In the 200+ years since then, new traditions have been added, such as the recital of the Selkirk Grace; the often-comical toasts; the famous recounting of ‘Tae a Haggis’; and the collective singing of Auld Lang Syne. The sentiments, however, remain the same: to pay tribute to our national poet and his legacy.

Brand Scotland – the Scottish Government-led partnership which promotes our nation across the globe – is at the forefront of publicising Burns events internationally. If you are planning a supper, you can visit www.Scotland.org to find their ultimate guide to Burns night, and to see the huge range of resources and content that are free to use.

Around the world Burns Clubs, St Andrew’s Societies and other organisers are able to access Brand Scotland promotional material for their invitations, place settings and video presentations.

This helps promote connections with people who have or want to develop their links with Scotland. Millions of people around the world share a special connection to Scotland. Whether they have Scottish heritage, business and education links to Scotland, or a passion for our unique and welcoming culture, there are lots of ways to get involved in our global community.

I wish everyone a very happy Burns Night. Sláinte.

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