Here’s to the whiskey, the women and the haggis!

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this was a toast between men in suits in a gentlemen’s club. In fact, the Scots have been toasting each other this way for over 200 years in honour of Robert Burns, Scotland’s best loved bard.

Scotland celebrates the beloved poet each year with a week-long festival in his home county of Ayrshire which then culminates in an evening event called a Burns’ supper. The tradition, which is held on the 25 January, the anniversary of Burns’ birth, celebrates the man, his poems and also remembers his three loves – whiskey, women and haggis.

Born in 1759, Robert grew up as farm hand on his father’s land. This was never his life’s love but despite the poverty he was well read. In 1784, his father died and Robert, who was more interested in the romantic notion of poetry, dreamt of escaping to the sunnier climes of the West Indies. This didn’t materialise after he fathered several illegitimate children including twins to a women named Jean Armour who would later become his wife. Burns then moved to Edinburgh and his first collection, ‘Poems - chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, Kilmarnock edition’, was published.

In a matter of weeks, Burns became a national celebrity and was allowed to marry Jean Armour now that he was no longer a lowly wordsmith. From then on, Burns contributed to numerous Scottish songs, in fact there are over 400 Burns songs still in existence. He also continued to pen great poetic masterpieces such as The Lea Rig, Tam O’ Shanter and a Red, Red Rose until his death at the age of 37.

On the day of his funeral, more than 10,000 people came to pay their respects but that popularity was nothing compared to the heights it reached in later years. The ritual of Burns suppers were then started a few years afterwards by some of his close friends.  The format for each Burns supper has remained unchanged since its inception and begins when the chairman invites the company to receive the haggis. A piper leads a chef who brings the haggis to the table and then guests recite Burns famous poem, ‘to a haggis’. Next, a toast is made to the haggis by raising a glass of whiskey, after which an invited guest gives a speech on the life of Robert Burns. The evening is rounded up with poems and songs and another toast, this time, to the lasses. This was originally to thank the ladies for preparing the food and to all the women in Burns’ life.

I wonder how we’d do it at home in South Africa and with so many celebrated writers it’s hard to choose just one. I know for sure there would definitely be a braai involved, good weather and copious amounts of beer and Savanna on hand. Perhaps our toast could be to good times, sun and braaivleis.... not forgetting the men who cook our meat and the women who prepare our salads!