Every year on January 25, Scotland – and Scotland lovers elsewhere in the UK and around the world – celebrates Burns Nightduring which a few Burns suppers. But what is it and what or who, precisely, is it referring to?
Si le 30 novembre I’m not St Andrew’s Day corresponds to the Scottish national holiday, January 25 also remains a very important date because it pays tribute to Robert Burns, a Scottish poet and lyricist from the 18th century who constitutes an emblematic figure in the north of the United Kingdom.
“January 25th is the day Robert Burns was born and is a day of celebration here…probably more so than St Andrews! “, says Caroline Smith of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum. Located in Alloway in the west of Scotland, just over an hour south of Glasgow and managed by the National Trust for Scotland, thehumble cottage – which today houses a museum – saw the birth and growth (Robert Burns was born in 1759 and spent the first years of his life there) of the one also referred to under the title of Scotland’s National Bard. “When he died there was a procession of over 10,000 people in Dumfries »which is located a little further south and remains the poet’s final resting place.
The Scots language in the spotlight
But why such popularity? Died at only 37 years old, from a heart problem, Robert Burns composed no less than 200 poems and more than 400 songs… paying, among other things (it is also a question of love), homage to landscapes, to nature , to the traditions and folklore of Scotland.
According to Caroline Smith, one of the reasons why the author is so well known is his use of Scots (Germanic language, close to English, traditional to Scotland). “He wrote at a time when many Scots felt a loss of identity and the use of Scots was significant in preserving local cultural heritage. »
Furthermore, she continues, “after his death, his work resonated with the Romantic movement in literature, at which level Scotland was at the forefront precisely with writers like Robert Burns and Walter Scott. “It’s the reason why authors like Keats and Wordsworth visited Burns Cottage.”
-When it comes to Robert Burns’ most famous works, the best known is undoubtedly the song Auld lang syne (old long since, in English), quite familiar to the French since the origin of the popular It’s just goodbye. In Scotland, this melody particularly on “the memory of past friendships” is often sung at the passing of the new year. There is also the poem Tam o’ Shanter – about the supernatural misadventures of a man who spent a little too much time at the pub – and which is also the name given to the traditional Scottish tartan hat. Or the poem To a Mouse, the songs Ae Fond Kiss et A Red, Red Rose…
A work that also crossed borders
The Scottish author is also known for his progressive positions. Himself from a modest background (his parents were farmers and had little money), he aspired to more equality (the song A man is man for a’ thatwhich denounces social injustice, is one of the most famous examples). “Robert Burns was influenced by both revolutions – French and American – and sympathized with revolutionaries in both countries, also indicates Caroline Smith. He was a radical thinker and there is an element of politics in his writings. He wrote on politics as well as the Church. »
The man gained notoriety at the age of 27, with the publication of his collection Poems, chiefly in the Scottish dialect. But that didn’t stop him from having financial problems. “He made money from publishing the Kilmarnock edition but had to continue working. He was a farmer and the last six years of his life he worked as a tax collector. Shortly before his death, he asked his cousin to help him with a loan. He was not rich when he died. »
January 25 is not a public holiday in Scotland. But here and there, restaurants, pubs, cultural associations organize Burns suppers evenings where we come in groups (sometimes this is also done at home) to drink (whiskey) and eat (Scottish food) in homage to the famous poet and Scottish culture. Small bagpipe notes can be made to resonate just like a certain number of poems by the prestigious author… In particular the popular Address to a Haggis. « Everyone celebrates things in their own way, sourit Caroline Smith, but one thing is certain, there is always haggis on the menu! »
