Burns Night

Burns Night

Burns night is an annual event held worldwide on, or near to 25th January to celebrate the life of Scotland's much revered national poet and to pay tribute to the bards famous literary works.

Born the eldest of 7 children on 25th January 1759 in Alloway, Ayrshire in Scotland Robert Burns, also known as Rabbie Burns, died age just 37 years old on 21st July 1796.

In 1801, five years after his death, nine of his friends from the Ayrshire Guild of Shoemakers decided to honour the memory of their friend with an evening full of pomp and ceremony similar to that of a Masonic meeting.

Over 200 years later we still enjoy the yearly tradition of a Burns Supper which usually involve the customary haggis, neeps (swedes) tatties (mashed potato), drinking whiskey, reciting of his poetry and of course singing his most iconic song Auld Lang Syne on the last day of the year.

Some lesser known facts -

It is alleged that Michael Jacksons hit Thriller was inspired by one of Robert Burns poems Tam O'Shanter.

There are more statues around the world dedicated to Robert Burns than any other non religious figure after the Queen and Christopher Columbus.

Burns' net worth on his death was reported to be the equivalent of just £1 in today's money.

Robert Burns was the first person ever to feature on a commemorative bottle of Coca Cola in 2009.

Auld Lang Syne has been featured in over 170 Hollywood films and is also in the Guinness Book of Records as one of the three most frequently sung songs in the English language along with Happy Birthday and For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.

Bob Dylan's greatest creative inspirations was the Robert Burns poem A Red, Red Rose.