The Burns Supper

Scots have given the world many great things - the telephone, whisky, penicillin, and even television. But one thing that's often missed off the roll call of achievement is the Burns Supper.

The Burns Supper is the annual celebration of the life and work of Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns. January in Scotland is a dark and cold month, traditionally perceived to be filled with post-Christmas gloom. So the chance to get together at its end with like-minded individuals to eat, drink and be entertained lifts the spirit in a way Burns himself would surely have approved of.
No-one is exactly certain when the first Burns Supper took place but it's likely that it was held by one of the many Burns Clubs that sprang up across west and central Scotland in the wake of the poet's untimely death in 1796 at the age of only 37. Nowadays, Burns Suppers have followed his popularity around the globe so that, on or around 25 January (Burns's birthday), they can be found everywhere from Moscow to Manhattan, Newfoundland to New Zealand. They also come in all shapes and sizes, from formal affairs in grand surroundings to more intimate gatherings in local clubs and pubs. The only common link between them all - and the only one that really matters - is the desire to commemorate one of the greatest poets the English language has known.