Tonight is the evening of a special celebration for Scottish people all over the world.  They will celebrate the birthday of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796).  Burns was a writer for the people and his famous words are often sung at new year, “Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?   Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?” meaning that we should not forget our friends, especially those from long ago.

The Burns supper consists of piping in the haggis (with bagpipes), reciting a Burns poem to the haggis and drinking to the poet with whisky, followed by Scottish dancing.  The haggis is a legendary, mythical creature of the Scottish Highlands, famous for having legs shorter on one side than the other to run on steep mountainsides.  Due to its unique leg structure, it is said that if a haggis tries to turn around, it will lose its balance and tumble down the hill!  As the haggis is rarely seen, many represent the animal with a sheep’s stomach stuffed with sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs, minced with oatmeal, onions, suet, spices, and stock.