Our Complete Burns Night Toolkit: Free Resources for your Burns Supper

Everything you need to host your own Burns Night, except the Haggis and Whisky. Whether you’d like a checklist to hire Professionals, or to host the evening yourself, here are all of the resources and tools you will need.

The 25th of January each year marks the celebration of the life of Robert Burns, Scotland’s National Poet. We celebrate on the anniversary of his birth rather than his death because Burns’ work celebrated the joys and passions of life.

A Burns Supper or Burns Night is a reflection on the life of the poet, on his work, and on Scotland, and what all of that means to the people in attendance.

Burns Nights take place in Scotland, of course, but also all over the world. In America, in India, in Spain, the Phillipines – the reach of a long-dead Scottish poet from Ayrshire is astonishing, and is a testament to his life and work.

Burns Nights take many forms and happen on different scales. They range from small, family dinners, to large, ticketed gatherings with professional entertainers and caterers.

Whatever the size of your Burns Night, there are a number of unmissable traditions that the evening should centre around. We’ve put together a toolkit with all of the information and resources you need to host your own Burns Night, whether you’re entertaining five guests or five-hundred. Here is everything you need, except the Haggis.

Burns Night Traditions

The main traditions for Burns Night are:

The Parade of the Haggis
The Address to the Haggis
The Selkirk Grace
Dinner, traditionally Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties
The Immortal Memory
Toast to the Lassies
Reply to the Laddies
Ceilidh Dancing
Auld Lang Syne

Some of these events require more preparation than others. Depending on the number of guests, or your preference, you may want to include all of these traditions, or just a few of them.

For example, a shorter Burns Night might only include:

Selkirk Grace
Dinner
A Poem
Auld Lang Syne

And a longer Burns Night might include more, such as:

A reading of Burns’ epic poem Tam O’Shanter
Or some of his other work
New poems written by your guests in the style of Robert Burns

There are really no rules – Burns surely would have scoffed at them anyway – just traditions.

There are more traditional food and drink items that can be included in a Burns Night menu. Scots will certainly expect shortbread on hand, whisky for the adults, and Irn Bru for the kids.

The Parade of the Haggis

When everyone is seated and ready for the main course, the Haggis enters. Traditionally, a Bagpiper plays and marches as the Chef follows, carrying the Haggis in on a platter. The Haggis is then ready to be addressed.

If you’re doing this at home, and you don’t know a Piper who can perform this service live, it’s easy enough to find some music to play over a speaker as the Haggis is carried in. See below:

Selkirk Grace

The Haggis is served. But before you can eat, someone must read the Selkirk Grace, by Burns:

Some hae meat and canna eat,
and some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And say the lord be thankit.

Extra verses were written long after Burns for vegetarians by Richard Medrington

The Alternative Grace:

But some hate meat and girn and weep,
Resisting all coercion,
So bless the tatties, bless the neeps
And the vegetarian version.

Then filled wi’ fruits o’ field and vine
And feelin fairlie frisky,
The One who water turned to wine,
We’d ask to bless the whisky.

Address to the Haggis

The Address to a Haggis is a poem written by Burns that pays tribute to Scotland’s famous dish. It is performed at Burns Nights before the Haggis is served, with the first cut traditionally made in the third verse.

After the Haggis has been addressed, the Speaker calls for a Toast to the Haggis, and guests all raise a glass of whisky “To the Haggis!”

The poem is best performed with vigour and drama. Most Bagpipers will be able to perform the Haggis Address after they’ve played the dish in. Here is Reel Time founder and Bagpiper Roddy performing the Haggis Address at the National Museum of Scotland:

Please feel free to play this video at your own Burns Night. Or, if you’re brave enough, we’ve provided the full text of the Address to a Haggis below, along with an English translation.

Original:

Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin’-race!
Aboon them a’ ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye worthy o’ a grace
As lang’s my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o need,
While thro your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An cut you up wi ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an strive:
Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive,
Till a’ their weel-swall’d kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
The auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
‘Bethankit’ hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi perfect scunner,
Looks down wi sneering, scornfu view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as a wither’d rash,
His spindle shank a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;
Thro bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He’ll make it whissle;
An legs an arms, an heads will sned,
Like taps o thrissle.

Ye Pow’rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies:
But, if ye wish her gratefu prayer,
Gie her a Haggis!

Translation:

Good luck to you and your honest, plump face,
Great chieftain of the sausage race!
Above them all you take your place,
Stomach, tripe, or intestines:
Well are you worthy of a grace
As long as my arm.

The groaning trencher there you fill,
Your buttocks like a distant hill,
Your pin would help to mend a mill
In time of need,
While through your pores the dews distill
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour wipe,
And cut you up with ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like any ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm steaming, rich!

Then spoon for spoon, the stretch and strive:
Devil take the hindmost, on they drive,
Till all their well swollen bellies by-and-by
Are bent like drums;
Then old head of the table, most like to burst,
‘The grace!’ hums.

Is there that over his French ragout,
Or olio that would sicken a sow,
Or fricassee would make her vomit
With perfect disgust,
Looks down with sneering, scornful view
On such a dinner?

Poor devil! see him over his trash,
As feeble as a withered rush,
His thin legs a good whip-lash,
His fist a nut;
Through bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit.

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his ample fist a blade,
He’ll make it whistle;
And legs, and arms, and heads will cut off
Like the heads of thistles.

You powers, who make mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill of fare,
Old Scotland wants no watery stuff,
That splashes in small wooden dishes;
But if you wish her grateful prayer,
Give her [Scotland] a Haggis!

Burns Night Menu

Now you can eat!

The traditional main course, of course, is Haggis, neeps, and tatties. For those who don’t know, Haggis is basically a large sausage made of sheeps meat (mutton), oatmeal, and spices. Neeps are turnips. And tatties are potatoes.

While Haggis is the traditional main course, there are some more classic dishes that could be included on the menu

Cock A Leekie: a classic starter soup made of chicken, leeks, and rice
Cullen Skink: a thick Scottish soup made of smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions. A great starter for a Burns Night menu
Raspberry Cranachan: a Scottish trifle that combines raspberries, oatmeal, and whisky for a refreshing dessert

Be sure to have these to hand:

Whisky
Shortbread
Irn Bru

The Immortal Memory

Unlike the Haggis Address, the Immortal Memory is not a poem by Burns to be performed on the night. Rather, the Immortal Memory is a speech given about the life and work of Robert Burns, and its meaning to the Speaker, and to Scotland.

A good Immortal Memory is a mix of poigance, humour, reflection, and likely includes passages from some of Burns’ poems – some famous, some less so but more meaningful to the Speaker.

If you’re going to be performing the Immortal Memory, it’s worth doing your research, because the standard is very high! For many, the Immortal Memory is the staple and highlight of the night.

Here’s a great one:

Toast to the Lassies and Reply from the Lassies

Because Robert Burns was a notorious ladies man, it is fitting that a proper Burns Supper include a tribute to the fairer sex.

Often the most entertaining part of the night, the Toast to the Lassies is a good-natured ribbing based on the universal misunderstandings and differences between men and women. The Toast is delivered by a Man, and then a Woman delivers the Reply from the Lassies, and gives the last word on the subject for the night.

Again, this is one that the speaker must write themselves. Subject matter ranges from PG to R-rated; that’s up to the Speaker.

This is another tradition where the standard is very high. Here’s a great example by ‘Taggart’ star Colin McCredie with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon present:

Ceilidh Dancing

A Scottish Ceilidh is a great way to turn the evening from a dinner in to a party. As long as you’ve got enough guests, get hold of a ceilidh band and have a great time, whether you’ve done it before or not.

Auld Lang Syne

People all over the English-speaking world know Auld Lang Syne, and sing it as the old year changes to the new. They may not know in places faraway from Scotland that Auld Lang Syne is a song by Robert Burns. So as well as singing it on New Years Eve, we sing it as Burns Night comes to an end.

The lyrics, if they’re not already in your bones:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?