Burns night

[thescot]

I am just not a very cultural person. I rather watch sports, action movies, video games, and play sports. When I read, I only read horror, action and true crime. Poetry isn't my cup of tea.

Pity.

I go the Burns suppers--in fact have hosted one for the past four years--because I love the entire event. I originally attended to be with friends in my clan society and because I had a passing interest in Burns.

But as I listened and learned and then studied and researched, I became quite an admirer and ardent fan. I have found in Burns a depth of feeling and perception--not to mention his other pursuits and contributions--that translate well through the centuries.

Burns was a good man and complex. He was sometimes a romantic and sometimes a realist, a lover and perhaps a lecher. In fact, he was pretty much like all men: a mix of admirable, less than admirable, and undesireable. but I am quite certain that the good parts outweighed the bad.

Raphael, I sincerely hope that you can somehow find your way to tackle the more demanding pursuits of literature. The effort will be worth it if you do, and you will find it much more satisfying and lasting than sports and video games. I say this at the risk of sounding pedagogic or condescending; it is not intended to be that. I only wish to share the small bit of wisdom that I have paid for with dear coinage. In youth we learn; in age we understand.

I attend Burns Suppers in order to celebrate and share a love of Burns, hoping that those present will catch at least a small whiff of the aroma of his genius and contributions to the human race. He really was one of those who burned twice as brightly but only for a short time.

Dare I suggest that if you don't like Burns it's because you don't know him?

. . . O whither, O whither shall I turn!
All friendless, forsaken, forlorn!
For, in this world, Rest or Peace
I never more shall know!
And it's O, fickle Fortune, O!

[Chas]

As far as I understand, the life and works of Burns used to be celebrated on the anniversary of his death, 21st of July. This year I went to a Burns Supper on the 25th, but many societies hold theirs on the nearest Friday or Saturday evening. If one is just going to celebrate the life of Burns that can be done on any day of the year. It doesn't really matter if the day falls on his birthday or not.

For me it's the social event. I don't have enough occasions to go kilted, so every one counts. I will be going to Burns Night II in Dumfries in March. There will be good food and good friends and there will be Burns.

Regards

Chas

[macwilkin]

As far as I understand, the life and works of Burns used to be celebrated on the anniversary of his death, 21st of July. This year I went to a Burns Supper on the 25th, but many societies hold theirs on the nearest Friday or Saturday evening. If one is just going to celebrate the life of Burns that can be done on any day of the year. It doesn't really matter if the day falls on his birthday or not.

For me it's the social event. I don't have enough occasions to go kilted, so every one counts. I will be going to Burns Night II in Dumfries in March. There will be good food and good friends and there will be Burns.

Regards

Chas

According to the noted Burnsian the late Hugh Douglas, the celebration of Burns's works was held on the 21st of July, but at some point, gatherings switched to the date of his birth. One of the first was held by the sergeant's mess of the Argyll Militia in 1801, which marched to the "auld clay biggin" with a band to honour the memory of Burns -- ironically, Burns' home had been turned into an ale-house, which proved most convenient for the attendees!

T.

[Semiomniscient]

I have seen many of you have attended Burns night Supper in the recent weeks and I wonder what does that mean to you. Is this just a social event for you or are you doing it to celebrate the poet's life and his influence on Scotland.

I am not going to lie and say that I go to the annual supper because of Burns. I go to the dinner because it is an annual social event and it is also a fund raiser. Although I doubt that I will continue my involvement in the future years as I no longer believe in that fund raiser any more. I also don't read poetry because I don't understand them.

As a teacher of the English language, and one of Scottish ancestry, I must say that I actually like Burns--but I do enjoy the general Scottishness of the event. I should say that I like Burns' poetry rather... I find him as a man to be pretty base--but I'm a moralist prude I suppose. (I was disappointed when he was dubbed the "greatest Scot of all time".) Nevertheless, he was a poetic genius and I love the lyrics and verses he wrote. I LOVE giving the Address to the Haggis every year and I've tried my best to make it different and more exciting every year that I've done it.

I'm afraid at our Burns Night, there is not enough of his poetry recited--the past two years my father and I tend to be the only ones who've done anything actually honoring the Bard with reference to his works. But at least it's a heck of a lot more interesting than the St. Andrew's Dinner that's given every year. That's a total snooze fest and I have only gone when I was specifically invited to receive some sort of award/scholarship. But I digress...
Burns isn't that hard to understand for me, but I enjoy translating languages and I have a degree in English. So I'm not the typical person. But I think someone mentioned that people these days don't stop long enough to read and enjoy poetry... Burns Night is a good night to do that, but the problem is that so often, the readers stumble desperately over the language and haven't a clue as to what they're saying. A lot of it is about performance... tell them what the poem is saying and then recite the poem with gusto and panache!

[macwilkin]

As a teacher of the English language, and one of Scottish ancestry, I must say that I actually like Burns--but I do enjoy the general Scottishness of the event. I should say that I like Burns' poetry rather... I find him as a man to be pretty base--but I'm a moralist prude I suppose. (I was disappointed when he was dubbed the "greatest Scot of all time".)

People obsess far too much about the bawdy works of Burns, INMHO. Burns was most deserving of that title, at least in my viewpoint, because of the very fact that he is celebrated the world over some 250 years after his death, and for the fact that Burns was so important in collecting the folk songs and music of Scotland at a time when it was quite unfashionable to be "Scottish".

In that regard, he is very similar to fellow folklorists such as Alan Lomax, Vance Randolph and Hamish Henderson, and deserving of the honour. Even his collection of the bawdy stuff, The Merry Muses of Caledonia, is important in that regard -- and besides, it's just darn fun to read at a gents-only Burns Supper.

Of course, being a Pisskie, I do not have the Calvinist hang-ups that James has. Just kidding, James! :mrgreen:

T.

[Semiomniscient]

People obsess far too much about the bawdy works of Burns, INMHO. Burns was most deserving of that title, at least in my viewpoint, because of the very fact that he is celebrated the world over some 250 years after his death, and for the fact that Burns was so important in collecting the folk songs and music of Scotland at a time when it was quite unfashionable to be "Scottish".

In that regard, he is very similar to fellow folklorists such as Alan Lomax, Vance Randolph and Hamish Henderson, and deserving of the honour. Even his collection of the bawdy stuff, The Merry Muses of Caledonia, is important in that regard -- and besides, it's just darn fun to read at a gents-only Burns Supper.

Of course, being a Pisskie, I do not have the Calvinist hang-ups that James has. Just kidding, James! :mrgreen:

T.

Yes, well... even as a Calvinist, I don't think John Knox was that friendly of a guy either. I think Robert Burns did an absolutely great thing for Scotland in terms of literature and especially culture. I think Napoleon was one of the most excellent tyrants of history. But I don't think I would have gotten along with him. Robert Burns would at least have been a friendly guy to have a beer with. But I don't see him as a sort of role model upon which I would idealize a "hero". But alas, so what?

[macwilkin]

Yes, well... even as a Calvinist, I don't think John Knox was that friendly of a guy either. I think Robert Burns did an absolutely great thing for Scotland in terms of literature and especially culture. I think Napoleon was one of the most excellent tyrants of history. But I don't think I would have gotten along with him. Robert Burns would at least have been a friendly guy to have a beer with. But I don't see him as a sort of role model upon which I would idealize a "hero". But alas, so what?

If you idolize Burns, then you're missing the whole point -- Burns was an ordinary man with an extraordinary talent. He was by no means perfect, as none of us are, and yet that's what makes him the "greatest Scot" (which isn't necessarily synonymous with "hero", btw) to me -- Instead of a general, a monarch or what-have-you, Scotland chose a farmer who was able to capture universal human emotions into song and story. I think that says a lot for Scotland.

T.

[Semiomniscient]

If you idolize Burns, then you're missing the whole point -- Burns was an ordinary man with an extraordinary talent. He was by no means perfect, as none of us are, and yet that's what makes him the "greatest Scot" (which isn't necessarily synonymous with "hero", btw) to me -- Instead of a general, a monarch or what-have-you, Scotland chose a farmer who was able to capture universal human emotions into song and story. I think that says a lot for Scotland.

T.

Sure it does. I don't really know why one should dub someone the "greatest" anything. It doesn't do much good... but sure, I see your point.

[Ozark Ridge Rider]

If you idolize Burns, then you're missing the whole point -- Burns was an ordinary man with an extraordinary talent. He was by no means perfect, as none of us are, and yet that's what makes him the "greatest Scot" (which isn't necessarily synonymous with "hero", btw) to me -- Instead of a general, a monarch or what-have-you, Scotland chose a farmer who was able to capture universal human emotions into song and story. I think that says a lot for Scotland.

T.

What he said

[Raphael]

If you idolize Burns, then you're missing the whole point -- Burns was an ordinary man with an extraordinary talent. He was by no means perfect, as none of us are, and yet that's what makes him the "greatest Scot" (which isn't necessarily synonymous with "hero", btw) to me -- Instead of a general, a monarch or what-have-you, Scotland chose a farmer who was able to capture universal human emotions into song and story. I think that says a lot for Scotland.

T.

OMG! I agree with you 100%.