How To Celebrate Burns Night Traditions

There are many things that Scots do incredibly well. Celebrations and whisky are two of them. Burns Night combines both of these to pay tribute to Scotland’s National Bard.

We’re going to give you the lowdown on Burns Night, including more about its history and some of the evening’s core traditions. We’ll also delve into what makes an authentic Burns Night Supper and give you some top tips on how to celebrate at home in style, including some great whisky cocktails to compliment your menu.

Burns Night, also sometimes referred to as Robbie Burns Day/Night, is an annual celebration held on January 25th to honour the life and work of Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland. Born on January 25, 1759, Burns is renowned for his poetry and songs that capture the essence of Scottish culture. The event has been observed worldwide since 1802 and typically features traditional Scottish food, drink, and entertainment.

Burns Night originated as a tribute to Robert Burns’ life and literary legacy. It began with a dinner hosted by nine of his close friends at Burns Cottage in Alloway to commemorate the fifth anniversary of his death. The gathering included a meal, poetry recitals, and speeches, laying the foundation for today’s celebrations.

Modern Burns Night suppers continue this tradition, with a Burns Night Supper that often includes music, dancing, and other forms of entertainment. The food (expect haggis, neaps and tatties), the whisky and the recitals of Burn’s work are always at the heart of the festivities, making it a vibrant homage to Scotland’s beloved bard.

If we could sum up how to celebrate Burns Night, it would be:

• Food
• Whisky
• Poetry
• Toasts
• Music
• Tartan

However, most people will tell you that the intricacies and customary aspects of the day are what make it so special. Here’s what you can expect when attending a traditional Robbie Burns Night event:

On Burns Night, Scots will often don their family’s tartan and it’s not unusual to see men wearing a kilt, kilt socks, a Prince Charlie jacket, a sporran and a sgian dubh alongside their dress shirt, tie, and brogues.

On Burns Night, traditional greetings reflect the celebration’s warm, festive, and distinctly Scottish spirit. While there isn’t a single ‘official’ Burns Night greeting, a few ways people might greet one another include:

• Slàinte Mhath: This Gaelic phrase meaning “good health” is commonly used during toasts, particularly when whisky is involved.
• Oidhche Bhlas Burns: meaning ‘Happy Burns Night”, this is a straightforward and cheerful greeting to mark the occasion.
• Guid Burns Nicht: A Scots dialect version of “A good Burns Night”.
• Toast lines: A line from Burns’ poetry might be recited as a greeting or toast, such as “Here’s a bottle and an honest friend!” (from A Bottle and Friend).

Large-scale Burns Night celebrations begin with a piper playing as a welcome to guests. But if you don’t have someone willing to perform at your front door as friends and family arrive, some traditional music will work just as nicely. To get the festivities started, you could offer a whisky cocktail once guests have settled. Something on theme, like the Full Scottish Marmalade, would go down a treat.

After the host of the evening has welcomed everyone and revealed what the evening’s entertainment will be, The Selkirk Grace is recited. This is a short but important prayer that is said before the Burns Night Supper commences.

The haggis is the star of any Burns Night meal, and it is usually brought to diners on a silver platter by a procession of people including the chef. During the haggis’ journey to the table, guests clap in time to the music. Once placed down, the music stops, and everyone takes their seat.

A chosen person then recites Address to a Haggis, which was written by Burns to show his love for the food. As the line ‘His knife see Rustic-labour dight’ is spoken, the person cuts the casing of the haggis along its length to reveal the deliciously savoury insides.

A traditional Burns Night supper follows. As people eat, chat, and laugh, music is played gently in the background. Get inspiration for what to serve with our favourite Burns Night menu ideas.

After the meal, guests usually enjoy sampling a range of whiskies as provided by the chair of the evening. If, as the host, you want to offer something other than neat tipples, there is a range of great whisky cocktails that are sure to delight guests. You can’t go wrong with classics like a Whisky Sour, Hot Toddy or Old Fashioned.

Entertainment is a key part of any Burns Night celebrations so expect singing, dancing and bagpipe music. Often, there will be performances of Burns’ songs like A Red, Red Rose or Rantin’, Rovin’, Robin. There may also be moving renditions of his poems such as To a Louse or Tam o’ Shanter. If you and your guests aren’t up to putting on a concert, there are plenty of wonderful covers available online that you can play and enjoy.

One of the essential speeches of any Burns Night party, the toast to the lassies and their subsequent reply pokes fun at the stereotypes of gender differences and praises the role of women in today’s society. 

As the night closes in, the chair of the evening gives a final thanks to all attendees and those who have contributed to making the night a success.

Last but not least, the evening culminates with all guests belting out Auld Lang Syne as they join hands and form a circle. If you want to offer one last cocktail to coincide with this, the Auld Alliance is sure to help you finish the night with a flourish.

If you want to serve up Scottish supper that your guests will remember, we’d recommend sticking to traditional food for Robert Burns’ Night. That being said, variations do exist and if you possess some culinary talent, you can always plan a menu that uses traditional ingredients but with a twist. A traditional hearty Burns Night supper menu includes:

Cock-a-leekie soup, which as the name suggests, is made from chicken and leeks, peppered chicken stock and sometimes thickened with rice or barley. Alternatively, Cullen Skink is another favourite. It’s a traditional soup from the Scottish town of Cullen that is made with haddock, potatoes, milk, onion and parsley. Both are wonderful when served with fresh buttered bread for dunking.

Haggis, neeps, and tatties are the stars of a Burns Night Menu. Haggis is a savoury pudding made using sheep’s pluck, onion, oatmeal, and spices. It is served with swede (the neeps) and potatoes (the tatties). Customarily, guests have a dram of scotch whisky alongside their haggis.

However, there are other popular main dishes that celebrate Scottish fare including Scottish salmon, Scotch beef, steak pie, and game such as pheasant or grouse.

For the sweet, you’re spoiled for choice. Clootie dumpling, which is a steamed pudding made with dried fruit, is delicious when served with ice cream or custard. Tipsy Laird is another popular Burns Night pudding. It is a Scottish trifle that uses whisky rather than sherry and fresh raspberries from Scotland. There’s also Cranachan, which is a dish of oatmeal, cream and raspberries with a hint of whisky. It was originally a celebration of harvest but has been adopted as the perfect Burns Night treat.

Finish things off with a selection of Scottish cheeses served dished up with oatcakes. There are plenty to choose from but Caboc, Crowdie, Lanark Blue, and Orkney cheddar are sure to go down well. At this point, you can also provide tea and coffee to your guests. If you want to elevate your offering, why not try crafting a Spiced Spey Coffee instead?