Robbie Burns

[Anna Hart]

Did anyone else celebrate Robbie Burns day? If so how?

[treehugger]

Well today is the official date, but we usually save the celebrating for the weekend. Been to many a Burns Night (we have friends in a Scottish band) in the past, but if we aren't going to one, we usually just have some whisky in the gentleman's honor.

One year we celebrated at my mom's house (she and Robbie share a birthday) with bangers and mash (in lieu of haggis, which I will eat if it's served to me, but I won't serve it), whisky, bagpipe music, and poetry readings. That was fun!

[iris lily]

We have in many years in the past but not lately.

St. Louis were I live used to have a "Robert Burns Society" . This was at the turn of the century. There is something about his cottage--can't quite remember--but perhaps there was a replica at the 1904 World Fair here? Something like that.

Now our Scottish heritage society puts on a big dinner, and if you want something cheaper and more scaul, the local micro brewery has quite a festive Burns night.

[Brian]

OK then where else would I post this joke but here? My mother sent this to me and they def go to Burns suppers... plus I can slip in an address to the haggis.


Subject: Fw: A bit of Rabbie..

The new commander in Afghanistan hears that a Scottish regiment has a specialised
field hospital that's doing fantastic things with the troops. He wants to
know what is so special about the place, so he arranges a tour.

When he gets to the ward, it's full of patients with no obvious sign of
injury or illness. He's perplexed, so goes up to the first bed and greets
the soldier there.

The patient replies:
"Fair fa your honest sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin race,
Aboon them a ye take yer place,
Painch, tripe or thairm,
As langs my airm."

The general is confused, so he just grins and moves on to the next patient.

That soldier responds:
"Some hae meat an canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat an we can eat,
So let the Lord be thankit."

Even more confused, and his grin now rictus-like, the commander moves on to
the next patient, who immediately begins to chant:

"Wee sleekit, cowerin, timorous beasty,
O the panic in thy breasty,
Thou needna start awa sae hastie,
Wi bickering brattle."

Now seriously troubled, the general turns to the accompanying doctor and
asks, "Is this a psychiatric ward?"

"No, not at all," replies the doctor. "This is the Serious Burns unit."

[IshbelRobertson]

We had our own, family Burns' Supper last night.
We're going to a very posh one on Saturday evening, where they will be piping in the haggis, Address the Haggis, The Ladies' reply, and then dancing. Much whisky shall be taken!

[catherine]

There's an old community in New Jersey that used to be 100% Scots and Irish. It's slowly changing over and some of the fish-and-chip shops have moved elsewhere. But there's still one that has a Robbie Burns night every year. We didn't go this year, but we have in the past--enjoyed the pipes, the poems and the haggis! (My DH is Scottish American--and a very proud one at that--still has an accent, plays the bagpipes, has several Scottish "party pieces" etc. etc. So Robbie Burns night is usually a given, but frankly, the revelry takes too much out of him these days so I don't encourage it.)

[IshbelRobertson]

It's also interesting that in Scotland, he is always known as either Robert or Rabbie, never Robbie (an anglicised short form for Robert!)