Our Burns Supper

This past week Kyle & I had our first Burns Supper celebration in America.  We had taken part in a Burns Supper in Scotland last year and wanted to replicate the same tradition at our house.  Traditionally, the Burns Supper occurs on January 25 and is a celebration of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns.  You'd probably recognize his most famous poem 'Auld lang Syne'.  The supper has agenda that is followed at all traditional Burns suppers.  First the host makes a welcoming speech, then you have the entrance of the haggis (accompanied by bagpipes of course), the reading of 'Address to a Haggis' a Robert Burns poem and after dinner a toast to the lassies (this is the equivalent to a 'roasting' as we would call it).  We didn't go through with the whole dinner schpel, we just picked and choose our favorite parts which thanks to my wonderful friend Katie did in fact include haggis!

Haggis in a can!

For those of you who don't know what haggis is, it is the equivalent to an american hotdog but made from sheep parts.  It is usually served with 'neeps and tatties' which is the Scottish way of saying 'turnips and mashed potatoes'.  I steered away from the turnips, but did serve up some mashed potatoes to accompany our haggis.  I also made some 'bangers' to go with our 'mash' (aka sausage). 

Our Scottish Feast (the bowl with brown mush is the haggis)

Our piper for the entrance of the haggis

Our good friends Hilary & Ryan came over to celebrate with us and brought the other staple of our meal- Scotch.  And to top off the meal, Kyle read 'Address to a Haggis'.  Here a snipet of the poem for your enjoyment:


But mark the Rustic, haggis fed, 
The trembling earth resounds his tread. 
Clap in his wallie nieve a blade, 
He'll mak it whistle; 
An legs an' arms, an' heads will sned, 
Like taps o' thristle. 

Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care, 
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinkin ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,
Gie her a haggis!


It never ceases to amaze me how different Scottish culture is from our own and vice versa.  Cheers too our favorite country after our own!


-Stacie