Robert Burns Documentary (Part 6 of 9)

Robert Burns BBC Documentary (Part 5 of 9)

Robert Burns BBC Documentary (Part 4 of 9)

Robert Burns BBC Documentary (Part 3 of 9)

Robert Burns BBC Documentary (Part 2 of 9)

Robert Burns BBC Documentary (Part 1 of 9)

The Story of Rabbie Burns

Burns nights

A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of Robert Burns. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25th January. 

            The first suppers were held by Robert Burns' friends on the anniversary of his death, 21 July. The first “Burns Club” held the first “Burns supper” in 1802 and since then suppers honouring the greatest Scot have been held every year.

            Burns suppers may be either formal or informal. Informal suppers typically include haggis (a traditional Scottish dish), Scotch whisky and the recitation of Burns' poetry. Formal dinners are hosted by organisations such as Burns clubs, the Freemasons, or St Andrews Societies and occasionally end with dancing.

            The formal suppers follow a standard format which is as follows. 

Host's welcoming speech:  The host says a few words welcoming  everyone to the  supper and the event is declared open.

Selkirk grace: All of the guests are seated and grace is said, usually using the Selkirk Grace.

    “Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it; But we hae meat, and we can eat, And sae let the Lord be thankit.” (Some have meat and cannot eat,  Some cannot eat that want it; But we have meat and we can eat, So let the Lord be thankit.)

Soup course: Normally a Scottish soup such as Scotch Broth, Potato Soup or Cock-a-Leekie is served.

Entrance of the haggis: Everyone stands as the main course is brought in. This is always a haggis on a large dish. It is usually brought in by the cook, generally while a piper plays bagpipes and leads the way to the host's table, where the haggis is laid down. The host, or perhaps a guest with a talent, then recites the Address to a Haggis.

      At the line of the poem where it says “His knife see rustic Labour dicht” the speaker normally draws and cleans a knife, and at the line “An' cut you up wi' ready slicht”, plunges it into the haggis and cuts it open from end to end. This "ceremony" is a highlight of the evening.

Scotch whisky toast:  At the end of the poem, a Scotch whisky toast will be proposed to the haggis, then the company will sit and enjoy the meal.

Supper: The main course is haggis, and is traditionally served with mashed potatoes (tatties) and mashed turnip (neeps). The courses normally use traditional Scottish recipes. For instance dessert may be cranachan or Tipsy Laird (whisky trifle) followed by oatcakes and cheese, all washed down with the "water of life" (uisge beatha) – Scotch whisky.

            When the meal reaches the coffee stage various speeches and toasts are given. In order, the core speeches and toasts are as follows.

Immortal memory: One of the guests gives a short speech, remembering some aspect of Burns' life or poetry. This may be light-hearted or intensely serious. Everyone drinks a toast to Robert Burns. The host will normally say a few words thanking the speaker.

Toast to the Lassies: This was originally a short speech given by a male guest in thanks to those women who had prepared the meal. The men drink a toast to the women's health

Reply to the Toast of the Lassies:  This is occasionally (and humorously) called the “Toast to the Laddies”. In it a female guest will give her views on men and reply to any specific points raised by the previous speaker. Quite often the speaker giving this toast and the previous one will collaborate so that the two toasts complement each other.

Singing: After the speeches, there may be singing of songs by Burns.

Auld Lang Syne:  Finally the host will wind things up, after which everyone is asked to stand, join hands, and sing Auld Lang Syne which brings the evening to an end.

20 things you probably never knew about Scotland's National Bard.

1.  After Queen Victoria and Christopher Columbus, Robert Burns has more statues dedicated to him around the world than any other non-religious figure.
2.  J.D. Salinger’s famous 1951 novel ‘Catcher in the Rye’ based its title from a poem by Robert Burns ‘Comin' Thro' the Rye’.
3.  The Soviet Union was the first country in the world to honour Burns with a commemorative stamp, marking the 160th anniversary of his death in 1956.
4.  A translation of ‘My Hearts in the Highlands’ was adopted as the marching song of the Chinese resistance fighters in the Second World War.
5.  American music legend Bob Dylan selected Burns' 1794 song 'A Red, Red Rose' when asked for the source of his greatest creative inspiration.
6.  A statue of Burns in Camperdown, Australia, is thought to be the oldest existing statue of the poet anywhere in the world. The sculpture, carved by John Greenshields in 1826, was shipped to Australia in the 1850s.
7.  John Steinbeck took the title of his 1937 novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ from a line contained in Burns' poem ‘To a Mouse’: ‘The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley’.
8.  Burns’ song of equality and universal brotherhood ‘Is there for Honest Poverty’ (also known as 'A Man's A Man for a' That') was chosen as the anthem to open the new Scottish Parliament in 1999.
9.   A miniature book of Robert Burns' poetry was carried into orbit by astronaut Nick Patrick on a two week space mission in 2010, completing a 5.7 million mile trip and 217 orbits of the Earth
10.  ‘Auld Lang Syne’ is recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as being one of the top three most popular songs in the English language. The other two are ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’.
11.  The city of Atlanta, Georgia, has a life-size replica of the Alloway cottage that Burns was born in. It was built by the Burns Club of Atlanta in 1911.
12. Robert Burns was the first ever person to appear on a commemorative bottle of Coca-Cola, in 2009.
13. The Mitchell Library in Glasgow is thought to house the world’s largest Burns collection, including translations of the poet’s works in more than 30 languages.
14.  American president Abraham Lincoln had a lifelong admiration for the work of Robert Burns, with some claiming that the poet’s verse played a key role in helping Lincoln win the American civil war and abolish slavery.
15. The work of Burns has appeared in hundreds of films and television programmes, including ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (1946), ‘When Harry met Sally’ (1989) and the 2008 film version of ‘Sex in the City’.
16. US fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger claims direct descent from Robert Burns.
17. Burns body was exhumed in 1815 to be placed in a new mausoleum in Dumfries. Whilst his body was above ground, a plaster cast of his skull was taken for study. The skull was measured and discovered to be bigger than the average man's.
18. The town of Mosgiel, near Dunedin, New Zealand was named after Robert Burns' farm in Ayrshire.
19. Burns fathered at least 12 children with four different women during his short 37 year lifetime. His youngest child, Maxwell, was born on the day of his funeral.
20. Pop singer Michael Jackson is said to have been a big fan of Robert Burns and is reputed to have worked on an as yet unreleased album setting the Bard's poems to music.

Robert Burns

Among our list of Scotland’s “icons”, Robert Burns has certainly a place of honour. In spite of his short life (he died at the age of 37) Robert Burns is widely regarded as a cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish Diaspora around the world. In 2009, STV (the Scottish television network) ran a television series and public vote to decide who should be named as being the Greatest Scot, and Robert Burns was voted as being officially the Greatest Scot of all time (narrowly beating William Wallace).  

            A pioneer of the Romantic movement, Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them.

Mary, queen of Scots

Mary, queen of Scots. Scotland's most "ubiquitous" ghost

Although the two never met, Queen Elizabeth I of England (and Wales) felt so threatened by the potential power of her Catholic cousin that ultimately she felt she had no choice but to have her put to death. But while every schoolgirl is reminded of this as she skips in the playground "Mary, Queen of Scots got her head chopped off", this categorically terminal punishment might have done for the Queen of Scots corporeal self, but it heralded the start of her spiritual life.

Mary, Queen of Scots, has become not only Scotland's most famous queen, but also its most ubiquitous ghost. There are stories of more than twenty sites being “visited” by Mary's spirit, from the place of her birth and the castles she visited as Queen of Scots, to the prisons in England where she was held captive, and the stairs she descended on the day of her execution.

Ghostly pipers

Regarding ghostly pipers, there are many stories about them. As a matter of fact, there is a pretty good deal of “musicians” among Scotland’s most famous ghosts. And not only pipers, but also harpists and drummers.

For example, a ghost of a handless piper is said to haunt Duntrune castle.
Culzean Castle is also reputed to be home to at least seven ghosts including a piper. The Kennedy family is one of Scotland’s oldest families and Culzean Castle was their principal seat from 1759. Whenever one of the Kennedy family is about to get married a ghostly piper is said to play in the grounds. He is also supposed to play on stormy nights - mixed in with the howling wind and crashing waves.

But Edinburgh Castle is perhaps one of the most haunted places in Scotland as it is connected to the Royal Mile by a network of underground tunnels. Many years ago a piper was sent to explore the tunnels and was told to keep playing so his progress could be tracked. However, halfway down the Royal Mile, the music suddenly stopped and the piper was never found. It is said the piper still walks the Royal Mile and sometimes the faint sound of music can often be heard from within the castle. It is believed the castle is also haunted by a drummer who only appears when the castle is about to be attacked.

Finally, Culchreuch castle is reputedly haunted by a number of ghosts, including a phantom harpist.

Daring pipers. The story of Bill Millin

This is a stamp of the Isle of Man. (the one located in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland). It depicts the "Mad Piper" disembarking from a landing craft on D-Day. We see only the tip of a bass drone and what looks to be a drone-cord ribbon.

"Bill" Millin (1922 – 2010) is remembered for playing the pipes whilst under fire during the D-Day landing in Normandy. Pipers had traditionally been used in battle by Scottish soldiers but by the time of the Second World War the use of bagpipes was restricted by the British Army to rear areas. However, Millin was personal piper to Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat, commander of 1st Special Service Brigade at D-Day. Lovat resolved to ignore these orders and ordered Millin to play. When Private Millin demurred, citing the regulations, Lord Lovat replied: “Ah, but that’s the English War Office. You and I are both Scottish, and that doesn’t apply.” Piper William Millin became worldwide known as the only man during the landing who wore a kilt – the same Cameron tartan kilt his dad had worn in Flanders during the Great War – armed only with his pipes and the Sgian Dubh, sheathed inside his kilt-hose on the right side.

The original photograph, taken at approximately 8.40 am, 6 June 1944. can be seen in the Imperial War Museum

Highland Cathedral, by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

Highland Cathedral was composed by German musicians Ulrich Roever and Michael Korb in 1982 and has been proposed as Scottish national anthem .

While the official anthem is obviously “God save the Queen”, there are several Scotland’s unofficial anthems as for example “Flower of Scotland” and “Scotland the Brave”.

The bagpipes

The earliest reference to bagpipes is on a slab from Asia Minor which has been dated to 1000 BC. By the 1st century AD, bagpipes existed in many countries from India to Spain and from France to Egypt. When, and how, they did first appear in Scotland is a hotly contested topic with competing theories claiming they were either a Roman import or that the instrument came from Ireland. But no matter the type, all bagpipes have the same elements: a bag with a chanter (on which the melody was played) and one or more drones (pipes which play a continuous note).

While different styles of pipe emerged in Scotland, it is the Highland bagpipe which has emerged as a national instrument. These are blown by mouth and the bags were traditionally made from the skin of a sheep, although nowadays synthetic materials are used. The pipes themselves were originally made of bone or ivory, but hardwood is the modern choice.

The melody is played on a chanter leading down from the bag while the three drone pipes sit on the piper's shoulder and provide a constant, steady sound as a background to the melody.

So while they did not invent bagpipes, Scots can fairly claim to have made them their own through keeping them alive as part of their musical tradition and by making them one of the outstanding parts of their culture.

About the stamp: Fortunately, few -if any- of the Pipe Sargents of WWI are still able to protest. Note the upper hand "technique" ...