The tradition of holding a Burns Supper began in Ayrshire, three years after Robert Burns’ death. The first Supper was held by some of Burns’ old friends in memory of the bard, and the concept quickly spread across Scotland. The tradition has continued ever since, and suppers are held every year on Burn’s birthday, in places as far a field as America, India, China, Russia and Kenya.
The whole premise for the evening is the celebration of the life and works of Robert Burns. Though the exact format will vary, core components are poetry, pipers and of course the Haggis.
The evening starts with the Master of Ceremonies welcoming everyone to the supper, and reciting the Selkirk Grace:
Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some would eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.
Burns’ used the grace when visiting the Earl of Selkirk, hence its name.
fter the Grace comes the highlight of the evening: The piping of the Haggis! Everyone will be expected to stand, and should ensure they have a full glass to toast the Haggis. The Haggis will be bought into the room by the Chef (Perry?), accompanied by the bagpipes. Once the Haggis has arrived at the top table, Burns’ famous poem ‘Ode to a Haggis’ will be performed.
The poem is generally recited with much enthusiasm, and during the third verse, the performer will slice open the Haggis.
Once the Ode has been performed it will be met with rapturous applause (hopefully). The Master of Ceremonies will then lead a Toast to the Haggis. Basically you hold your glass of whisky in the air and say “To the Haggis!”.
Once the Ode and Toast have been performed, dinner is served.
After the meal, comes the entertainment. The exact format will vary, but you should expect to hear performances of the works of Burns such as "My Luve is Like a Red Red Rose", "Rantin', Rovin' Robin", "Tam O'Shanter", "To a Louse" or "For a' that and a' that".
The speaker will then describe the life of Robert Burns. This is typically a mixture of historical fact, and comic genius. The speech will conclude with a toast to Robert Burns "To the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns!".
Next comes the Toast to the Lassies (ladies). The toast will be delivered by a man, and will be a humorous toast designed to praise the role of women in the world today. Bonus points are awarded for including quotations from Burns in the toast. The toast concludes: "To the Lassies!"
Of course the lassies have a right to reply to the men’s toast. The luck lassie performing the toast will thank the men for their kind(?) toast – and will then attempt to upstage the men with an even more witty toast, again making use of the works of Burns.
At this point, when everyone is suitably fed, and alcohol has relaxed the guests sufficiently, the dancing will commence.
At the end of the evening, the Master of ceremonies will thank everyone for making the evening a great success, and will lead everyone in singing Auld Lang Syne, probably Burns’ most famous song.