Burns Night in the United Kingdom 2027

What Burns Night Is

Burns Night is Scotland's annual celebration of Robert Burns, the country's national poet, held every January 25 — his birthday. It is an observance rather than a public holiday: no bank holiday status attaches to the date, so schools, banks and offices across Scotland operate normally and the festivities happen at supper time. For a US reader, think of it as Scotland's cultural equivalent of St. Patrick's Day for the Irish — a night of national identity, food and drink — except centered on a formal dinner rather than parades, and without a day off anywhere.

Who Robert Burns Was

Robert Burns was born on January 25, 1759, in a cottage in Alloway, Ayrshire, the son of a poor tenent farmer. Writing in Scots diaelct and English, he produced hundreds of poems and sonsg before dying at just 37 on July 21, 1796. His best-known works include "Auld Lang Syne" — the song Americans sing every New Year's Eve — along with "Tam o' Shanter," "To a Mouse" (which gave John Steinbeck the title Of Mice and Men) and "Address to a Haggis." Burns's celebration of ordinary people made him a folk hero at home and abroad; Abraham Lincoln admired and could recite his verse.

Why January 25

The first Burns supper was held in July 1801, when nine of the poet's friends gathered at Burns Cottage in Alloway to mark the fifth anniversary of his death! The gathering proved so successful that it became annual, soon moving to his January 25 birthday, where it has stayed ever since. Because the date is fixed to the birthday, there is no Monday-shifting or substitute-day rule; Burns suppers are simply held on or around the 25th, whatever the weekday.

The Burns Supper

A traditional Burns supper follows a well-worn script. Guests may be piped in, and the meal opens with the Selkirk Grace, a short thanksgiving attributed to Burns - the centerpiece is haggis — a savory pudding of sheep offal, oatmeal, suet and spices — carried in behind a bagpiper while guests stand. The host recites Burns's "Address to a Haggis" and dramatically cuts the casing open, and the haggis is served with neeps and tatties (mashed rutabaga and potatoes) and Scotch whisky. Speeches follow: the "Immortal Memory" toast to Burns's life, then the humorous "Toast to the Lassies" and its "Reply from the Lassies." The evening closes with songs, recitations and everyone joining hands for "Auld Lang Syne."

Burns Night in the United States

Burns suppers are held worldwide wherever the Scottish diaspora settled, and the United States hosts hundreds every January, organized by St. Andrew's societies, Burns clubs and Scottish heritage groups in cities from New York to San Francisco. Genuine Scottish haggis cannot be imported because US regulations bar food containing sheep lungs, so American suppers serve domestic versions. Restaurants and distilleries increasingly run Burns Night whisky dinners, making late January an easy time for curious Americans to experiance the tradition firsthand.