Burns Night

January 29th was the 251st birthday of the great poet Robbie Burns and what better way to celebrate than at a postgraduate dinner and ceilidh! Most people in my program attended and everyone was dressed to impress in their kilts, dress shirts, ties and lovely dresses. I hardly recognized many of them without their hiking kit on!

'Ode to Haggis' was recited in a very impressive manner. The poem takes what seems like 10 minutes and the man doing it recited it by heart. For those of you who have never heard this poem, I highly suggest you hunt down a Robbie Burns supper next year to take in the Scottish culture in all it's glory. It really is something else!

Dinner was the usual trio of beige coloured piles- haggis, neeps and tatties. It would appear that I am not true Scot though as I opted for the vegetarian haggis. Delicious! I am fully aware that my ancestors are rolling in their graves at the mention of vegetarian haggis, but I am quite happy to accept whatever curse will fall upon me for what some may refer to as Scottish blasphemy!

After dinner, the ceilidh began. Most people did not know the dances so a member of the band called out the moves. It really is a great way to get to know people, as you end up dancing with pretty much everyone in the room. The live band played and people swayed. The swaying was definitely a combination of great music, too much whiskey and dancing on a full stomach. All in all it was a fabulous night. Happy Birthday Robbie Burns!