The Haggis Feast, George Alexander Fraser, 1840
Burns Night
Jan 25
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"It was the haggis, a brownish lump sitting unobtrusively to one side of the plate, that drew the most riveting attention. ... Some people approached their haggis with extreme misgivings."
~ Tom Knapp
Don't be rude to your haggis! And approach boldly, for this humble dish is nourishing as well as traditional on this day to celebrate Scotland's National Poet, Robert Burns! Made from suet, spices, onions, oatmeal and a sheep's pluck - heart, liver and lights - all boiled in a sheep's stomach, the haggis is a dish whose origins have been hotly disputed by food historians over the last decade. Regardless, this humble food is generally considered distinctly and de facto Scottish, no less for the regional ingredients than for the general reverence and good humour associated with this humblest of peasant foods. Similar but less celebrated variations include the Pölsa (Sweden), Hakkemat (Norway), Niania (Russia), and Chireta (Aragon). Tonight ends Haggis Hunting season, so if you've been lucky enough to bag one for tonight's toasts and feasting, approach and address the fair, sonsie face of your haggis with celebratory and culinary zeal! It's "offaly" tasty! To a haggis! 🏴 🥃
The Haggis Thrash
Also known as Rabbie Burns, the Bard of Ayrshire and various other names and epithets, Robert Burns, Scottish poet and lyricist, is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland. His birthday is celebrated worldwide.
For some wonderful documentaries on the life and works of Robert Burns, click the videos below.
There are dozens of Scottish Country Dances devoted to his life and works. For an entire Burns Supper, in Scottish Country Dance form, click here. From the collection, see "The Haggis Thrash" below.
And for a Burns documentary, click the illustration below:' Grand Burns' Festival. - Brown Entertains his Friend wi' a Haggis!', 1859, Punch, or the London Charivari, February 5, 1859.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
