To not "get" Burns Night at all, despite living in Scotland?

[gaelicsheep]

Would any real Scots (as opposed to incomers like me) like to explain to me what's so special about Rabbie Burns and haggis? Thanks.

We also had haggis neeps and tatties tonight but only because DH bought it. Being Scottish though I just dont get Burns. We hated it at school and still do. Bye the way I am a fair age and have never been to a Burns supper in my life.

burns "poem" -"The Cat And The Mous"
Said the poussie
Tae the mousie
"let me intae yer wee housie,
We will play and we will sing
And we will dance a jingo-ring."

Said the mousie
Tae the pousie,
"ye'll no get intae ma wee house,
ye are big an` I am wee
And ye wad eat me, fur yer tea.

Whats good about that Pile of shite? - only thing rabbie burns was good at was shaggin about.
..... and whats with the "see you jimmy" smillies?

ROFL drloves8

We had haggis, neeps and tatties tonite too... Strangely the butcher gave us a leaflet with an Ode to the Haggis printed on the reverse and cooking instrution on the front - or maybe it is the other way round... Scary that anyone needs cooking instructions for haggis. "Boil" - surely that covers it?

However, more worryingly, 3yr old DD picked up the leaflet and immediatley went "Ooohh Robert Burns". She has been indoctrianated at nursery, where they have been doing Highland Dancing and eating shortbread.

burns night is shite imo - the telly is full of the "shortbread biscuit tin mob" and the crapola folk singer music .
at work - the hotel is covered in the tartan terrors - they even get a piper in to torture the staff bring in the haggis , the chief gies the spiel over the haggis and stabbs it - then goes back to the kitchen and gets pissed back to work. .
tickets to this nightmare are sold at £30 a head .No wonder the scottish tourist board loves rabbie burns.

drloves8, are you sure that is by Burns? Don't forget, he didn't write everything attributed to him - even Auld Lang Syne was an older song that he collected.

Seems like your Scottish education has been sadly neglected...

MsHighwater , my "Scottish education has been sadly neglected" .
, ok, what do i know about scottish education ?
im scottish , im educated ( well sort of , i didnt finish degree , but am working to sort that) .
Im as sure as i can be that "poem" is one of Burns`s, perhaps i should dig him up and ask him ? seance anyone?

When I was at school the weeks running up to burn's night were taken up with learning scots poetry and then reciting it on burn's day (or as near to it as possible). I vaguely remember parents coming in to hear us recite poetry. Some of it was burns, but a lot of it was more humourous scots poetry that appeals to kids. Each teacher would offer their class 3 or 4 poems to choose from. I vividly remember doing 'the coming of the wee malkies' in primary 7. The teachers taught us how to recite it in an interesting way, and to add emphasis and actions and stuff. I also remember learning scots songs for the occassion too (this is the only reason that I still know all the words to auld Lang syne). I'm sure there was haggis for school dinners too.

I seem to remember that DS1's school also did the poetry thing for burn's night while we lived in Scotland. Both schools were in the central belt.

I think it's a nice tradition. Same goes for the 'social dancing' lessons we got in PE during December every year where they taught us to ceildh dance. It meant every school dance had a ceildh, which was always great fun (more so than the crappy disco bit afterwards).

my problem with burns is a longstanding hatered of his poetry.I too had it drummed into me a a child at school.
Actually i often wonder why he`s been adopted as "scotlands national hero" , why does he have a "night". There have been loads of scottish people who have done wonderful things and improved peoples life.
Andrew Carnegie was one , he donated loads to charity, helped people. Then there was Alexander graham bell., the man who discovered anesthetic, ect the list is endless.
Fact is robert burns is famous because he was notorious in his day -( a sort of his era jordan,quite good at what he does, but not exceptional, but what a reputation! )

Coupled with the fact I don't like Haggis, Neeps or Whiskey although I quite like tatties.

I am quite a crap Scot really.

In ye olden days Burn's Night was purely for the men folk. Despite being a feminist I would be more than happy to restore that particular tradition.

I was in Tesco this moring - there was a large haggis... with one of those wires around it, and a secuirty tag - I kid ye not

Tis a very big deal in my family. Uncle plays bagpipes so we meet up for haggis every year and we live in Ayr. You can't move for Burns stuff just now!

MsHighWater - slight hijack - whereabouts in Ayrshire are you? I am thinking of relocating there later in the year. Any places in Ayrshire you either recommend or warn of?

I'm getting quite concerned that my DS is going to be indoctrinated with Burns at school. Personally I'd much rather he studied poets of greater merit - and I do appreciate this is a personal opinion.

He's fairly unintelligible Burns, isn't he

drloves8 and gaelicsheep, it's fair enough to dislike Burns' poetry; it's a perfectly valid opinion but you have to accept that you are in a minority (at least among those who are familiar with it). All I can suggest is that, if you have not done so recently, have a look at some of it - not just the better know stuff, either (I also had to learn part of "Tam O'Shanter" by rote as a child). Or don't. Who cares?

lou031205, I live in South Ayrshire and like it. The coastal area around Ayr, Prestwick & Troon is nice although there are also some nice villages inland, too. It's difficult to say where is nice and where is not so (it depends what you are after, I suppose). I don't know East Ayrshire or North Ayrshire so well but they, too, have their nice and less nice parts. Do you have anywhere in mind?

^But pleasures are like poppies spread
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed
Or like the snow falls in the river
A moment white - then melts forever
Or like the rainbow's lovely form
Evanishing amid the storm.......

For gold the merchant ploughs the main
The Farmer ploughs the manor
But Glory is the sodger's prize
The sodger's wealth is honour!
The brave poor sodger ne'er despise
Nor count him as a stranger
Remember he's his country's stay
In day and hour of danger.

Peace, thy olive wand extend
And bid wild War his ravage end;
Man with brother Man to meet
And as brother kindly greet!^

Yep - all snatches from Burns work. Where is the problem understanding the words or sharing the sentiments?

I will admit that I haven't read a lot of the stuff - I didn't realise he wrote in proper English for a start (I guess I'm showing my ignorance here). But having grown up in England I know that Burns was never mentioned once in my entire time at school. That makes me doubt how widely admired he really is outside the Scotland and the diaspora.

Anyhow, I'll make an effort to read some more of his stuff and reserve judgement. TBH I'm not a big fan of poetry full stop so it's an effort to make myself read any of the stuff, whoever wrote it.

Going to a Burn's Night Supper tomorrow night. Slightly belated, I know, but weekend after.

Really looking forward to it.

Am in england though but one parent scottish and another grew up there so that's why...

I used to like doing Burns at school. It appealed as it was written how we spoke at home, and at school we werent ever allowed to talk like that as it was considered slang. Even now, i change how i speak depending on who im talking to.
MsHighwater we did tam o'shanter too and had to learn the WHOLE thing!! needless to say very few of us actually managed it...

i do think its something thats probably more marketed for the 'tourists' and the all that tartan and shortbread shenanigans.

but i do love my haggis...

The image of Robert Burns is a huge part of marketing Scotland to tourists but his work definitely continues to have an audience in Scotland and elsewhere. There are Burns Clubs all over Scotland (and most of them are NOT all-male). An acquaintance of dh's was president of the World Burns Federation a few years ago and he put on quite a bit of weight travelling to events all over the world during his year in office.

Tbh, I'd rather Scotland was known for Robert Burns' work than for some of the things that are used to advertise it...

YABU for criticising Burns when you haven't read any of his work.

Some of it is for kids, some of it is flippant, some is humorous, epic and very descriptive and emotive.

It is amazing really that a man of his background produced such a body of work.

We had to learn Tam o'shanter by rote, but I really enjoyed it as my English teacher was so passionate about it.

My favourite bit is:

"Where sits his sulky sullen dame,
Gathering her brows like a gathering storm
Nursing her wrath to keep it warm"

How many of us can't identify with that?

trixy, I'm sure that was part of my bit of the poem. It's the bit I remember best, anyway.

For fans of that poem, I can recommend a visit to Rozelle House museum in Ayr. There is a permanent exhibition of Goudie paintings illustrating the poem. Well worth viewing (after which, of course, you can go and visit the locations in which the action takes place, just minutes away in Alloway).

An English doctor is being shown around a Scottish hospital during the Great War. At the end of his visit, he is shown into a ward with a number of patients who show no obvious signs of injury.

He goes to examine the first man he sees, and the man proclaims:

"Fair fa' yer sonsie face,
Great chieftain e' the puddin' race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place, painch tripe or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace as lang's my arm."

The Englishman, somewhat taken aback, goes to the next patient and immediately the patient launches into:

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

This continues with the next patient:

"Wee sleekit cow'rin tim'rous beastie,
O what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi bickering brattle I wad be laith to run and chase thee,
Wi murdering prattle!"

"Well," the Englishman mutters to his Scottish colleague, "I see you saved the psychiatric ward for the last."

"Nay, nay," the Scottish doctor corrected him,

"This is the Serious Burns unit."

I never said I hadn't read any. Just that what I have read - including some additional bits and bobs on this thread - doesn't make me want to read any more, although I have said I will give him another go since everyone seems to rave about him. But give me Shakespeare, Wordsworth or Alfred Lord Tennyson any day.