WEBLINKS
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FACTS
| Robert Burns was born in Ayreshire in 1759.
His youngest son, Maxwell, was born on the day of his death in 1796.
A statue of Burns stands in New York's Central Park.
A bust of the Bard also stands in Poets' Corner, Westminster.
The cottage where Rabbie was born is the centrepiece of the Burns National Heritage Park in Alloway.
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 |  | The turkey's only just eaten - and the first footers have finally been the last to bed - and yet it's time for another mammoth celebration in the Caledonian calendar as Scots around the world prepare to toast the most famous Scotsman of all - Rabbie Burns.
Burns, the Bard of Scotland, is the best-loved writer ever to emerge from the Highlands or Lowlands and his life is celebrated in January every year with a special supper featuring haggis, bagpipes and - naturally - Burns' two greatest loves, women and whisky!
Burns Night is celebrated every year on or around 25 January - although Burns season can last for almost the whole month!
From poverty to celebrity
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Born into poverty in 1759, as the oldest of seven children, Rabbie worked on his father's farm in Alloway, Ayreshire.
He was a fanatical reader and came on in leaps and bounds thanks to a tutor employed by his father for him and his brother, Gilbert.
By the age of just 15, he was the senior farm worker and began writing to escape the drudgery of everyday life.
His first verse, My Handsome Nell, was devoted to his favourite subjects apart from reading - women and whisky.
Rabbie and Gilbert became partners in the farm when their father died in 1784, but his poetic nature ensured Rabbie was more interested in women and song than hard agricultural work.
After fathering several illegitimate children, he developed a plan to escape to the West Indies.
听| 听 |  | Scotch was one of Burns' greatest loves
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His plans were changed when his first collection of verse, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect - Kilmarnock Edition, was published. It was received with much admiration and critical acclaim, so Rabbie decided to stay in Scotland.
He ended up in Edinburgh and enjoyed a life of fame, becoming a national celebrity and marrying the mother of his twins, Jean Armour.
While famous, Rabbie was far from rich and had to work as a taxman to supplement his literary work, which included songwriting.
He lived out his final years creating some of his most famous works - Tam O'Shanter, My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose - before dying of heart disease in 1796, aged just 37.
His funeral was witnessed by 10,000 people and his popularity continued to grow year upon year, reaching the international adoration he is held in now.
A few years after his death, friends began to hold suppers to commemorate the anniversary of his birth on 25 January and since then, the ritual has been held all over the world.
听Chieftain of the puddin-race!
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The Burns supper is a fantastic affair, featuring love for the bard and for the traditions of Scotland in equal measure.
| 听 |  | Bagpipes herald the arrival of the haggis
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The evening begins with the Selkirk Grace, which praises God for providing good food: "Some hae meat and cannot eat. Some cannot eat that want it. But we hae meat and we can eat. Sae let the Lord be thankit".
The party then stands to greet the haggis, which is carried to the top table lead by a piper and is greeted with applause.
A guest is then invited to read the famous verse To a Haggis before the delicacy is sliced open and toasted with whisky.
听Served with neeps and tatties
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 "Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o the puddin'-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy of a grace As lang's my arm."
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A haggis is made from sheep's liver, heart and lung mixed with suet, onion, two types of oatmeal and seasoning and is served wrapped in a sheep's stomach!
Although it sounds revolting, it's actually delicious and vegetarian haggis is now available.
The haggis is usually served with neeps and tatties, mashed turnips and potatoes, and it's often followed by a traditional sherry trifle.
Once the food has been devoured, the fun really starts!
| 听 |  | A haggis in all its glory
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When guests are on to the coffee, the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns is honoured in a special speech, before a toast to the lassies - originally a thank you for preparing the food - which is followed by a response to the men.
The evening is rounded off with music, dancing and poems by the great man himself - and a few more wee drams as well!
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