Burns Night Event

What you need

  1. Activities
  2. Scottish quiz (see our Och Aye the Noo Quiz activity)
  3. Robert Burns Poems and “address to the Haggis” - download resource
  4. Food
  5. Starter: Scotch broth
  6. Main course: Haggis, neeps and tatties
  7. Dessert: Raspberry Cranachan Trifle (or a fruit trifle will do)
  8. Whisky or Irn-Bru for those who can’t have alcohol
  9. Shortbread (see our Sumptuous Shortbread activity)
  10. Entertainment
  11. Bagpipe player
  12. Scottish ceilidh dancing

Intro

Burns night on 25th January celebrates the life and poetry of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. The man who penned some of literature’s most famous lines, like “The best laid schemes o'mice and men Gang aft a-gley; And leave us naught but grief and pain. For promised joy.” from “To a Mouse”.

Why not spend the day embracing all things Scottish? Enjoy a feast for all the senses, tasting everything from haggis to whisky. Test your Scots’ knowledge, watch some ceilidh dancing and listen to the unusual sound of bagpipes!

You could even decorate the room with Scottish flags, using the template from our Flags of the World activity.

The Activity

  1. Spend the morning in groups doing the quiz, enjoying a Robert Burns poetry session or making shortbread to eat in the afternoon
  2. Throw a special Scottish lunch
  3. Invite everyone to stand up (if they can) to welcome the haggis
  4. The host should pay respect to the haggis by reading “Address to a Haggis” and cutting it open when reading the line “An’ cut you up wi’ ready sleight”
  5. After dinner, enjoy the bagpipe player and dancing. If you don’t have any entertainment, just sing along to some old Scottish songs, such as “Loch Lomond”, and have a little dance (if possible)
  6. Finish off the event with some whisky (if allowed) or Irn-Bru and delicious homemade shortbread
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