Happy 250th!

Yesterday was Robert Burns’ birthday. It’s a big deal in Scotland; everyone celebrated all weekend and today. I like lists, so I shall list the various parts of celebrating.

a) Wear a kilt! I saw several people in kilts. It was fun. I wish I was cool enough to wear a kilt and mean it. There were even large numbers wearing kilts to church yesterday. There was also one little girl in a fairy costume but I don’t think that related to Burns’ day so much.

b) Play the bagpipes! Remember that obsessive American who plays the bagpipes? Yesterday he had them out in all their glory. He played them in the lobby of the dorm and all the way there and back to a celebration dinner. They matched his kilt.

c) Drink! This is an ancient tradition dating back to the origination of the nation. This is just one way to celebrate, and is by no means necessary. (I am not suggesting I participated in this manner – I was home not feeling well.) Although, the bagpipe player started drinking at 2.30 in the afternoon. He knows how to celebrate.

d) Eat haggis! Yes, you should try it. They served it at the dining hall yesterday evening. I don’t trust squishy food from dining halls, but I tried haggis about two weeks ago. I felt that sufficed. Also, they tried to serve us vegetable haggis. What exactly goes into that? The best we could figure is that it’s made from the insides of vegetables. Vegetable guts.

e) Go to a celebration dinner! This one’s pretty self-explanatory.

f) Sing Auld Lang Syne! The poem – the lyrics – was written by Robert Burns, in case you didn’t know.

g) A ceilidh! The word is pronounced kay- ley. Like the name Kayli. A ceilidh is a type of dance. I have never attended such a thing so I do not know how to participate in said event, but I have heard it entails enthusiastic and unchoreographed dancing of the Scottish variety.

That’s all the methods of celebrating that I have seen or heard of, but I’m sure any celebrating would be encouraged and appreciated.

Happy Burns’ Day!