- published: 10 Aug 2010
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A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns, author of many Scots poems. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, rarely also known as Robert Burns Day (or Robbie Burns Day or Rabbie Burns Day) or more commonly Burns Night (Scots: Burns Nicht), although they may in principle be held at any time of the year.
The first supper was held in memoriam at Burns Cottage by Robert Burns' friends on 21 July 1801, the fifth anniversary of his death, and have been a regular occurrence ever since. The first still extant Burns club was founded in Greenock in 1801 by merchants born in Ayrshire, some of whom had known Burns. They held the first Burns supper on what they thought was his birthday, 29 January 1802, but in 1803 they discovered in Ayr parish records that his date of birth was 25 January 1759. Since then, suppers have been held on or about 25 January.
Burns suppers may be formal or informal. Both typically include haggis (a traditional Scottish dish celebrated by Burns in Address to a Haggis), Scotch whisky, and the recitation of Burns's poetry. Formal dinners are hosted by organisations such as Burns clubs, the Freemasons, or St Andrews Societies and occasionally end with dancing when ladies are present. Formal suppers follow a standard format.
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Oh you speak the words locked in my breast
But it's late for me, let an old man rest
One more black and tan on the barricade
To keep me safe from loving
When I close my eyes, close my eyes
To the cold flame of the Northern Lights
When I close my eyes, close my eyes
And I see you still in the shuttered night
What a new-found friend is honesty
To see ourselves as others see
To see the shy boy inside the man
Is that all I am? Just starved of loving
When I close my eyes, I close my eyes
To the cold flame of the Northern Lights
When I close my eyes, close my eyes