Yesterday, January 25th, we went to a Robbie Burns Celebration - or at least, part of one. I had never even really heard of Robbie Burns before yesterday and I wanted to know more about him. So today, mommy and I did a bit of research him. This is what I found out:
Robert Burns was born January 25, 1759 and died July 21, 1796. He was 37 years old.
- He was a Scottish poet and is known in Scotland as The Bard.
- Burns is said to be the National Poet of Scotland.
- He wrote many peoms and songs, including the one we sing at New Year's called, Auld Lang Syne.
- Daddy's favourite "Rabbie" Burns poem is A Red, Red Rose. It was written in 1794, 2 years before he died.
So what do people do to celebrate Robbie Burns Day?
W
ell, we went to Acadia Hall because Abby was going to dance with some of her highland class, for the people at the party. When we arrived, there were musicians playing some old folk songs. They were playing the fiddle, the guitar, and the accordian. I knew some of the songs because I have played them before on my fiddle. My favourite song that I recognized was John Ryan's Polka. When the musicians were finished, a man who was very Scottish (he had a thick accent), said a poem about Robbie Burns and then another by Robbie Burns.
ell, we went to Acadia Hall because Abby was going to dance with some of her highland class, for the people at the party. When we arrived, there were musicians playing some old folk songs. They were playing the fiddle, the guitar, and the accordian. I knew some of the songs because I have played them before on my fiddle. My favourite song that I recognized was John Ryan's Polka. When the musicians were finished, a man who was very Scottish (he had a thick accent), said a poem about Robbie Burns and then another by Robbie Burns. Then it was time for Abby to dance. Her first dance was the Sword Dance. She was the smallest 
dancer, but she kept up with the older dancers. She then had to wait for a bit while the older dancers danced a bunch of different dances. Abby was excited because she got to change from her kilt into her beautiful, white Lilt dress. She then had to dance the Lilt, the Flora and they all ended with the Fling. We didn't stay around for the feast. It is traditional for people to eat Haggis for supper on Robbie Burn's Day. I didn't really want to try it out. I know that it is made in the stomach of a sheep, and well, that isn't my thing.
Here is a video of Abby's Sword Dance:
Hi Malcolm,
ReplyDeleteWhat I love about Rabbie Burns day is that it's one of the very few public occasions in Canada where we celebrate poetry, and the accomplishments of a specific artist. Burns has a special place in the hearts of we Canadians of Scottish descent because he wrote in the way that the Scots actually spoke, in our own Scots-flavoured version of English. In his time, no one else was doing this, as Scots vernacular was deemed too vulgar for poetry or even prose.
Keep up the blog, I will be following it with interest.
Your cousin Jenn.