Tuesday, January 21, 2025
If you sang “Auld Lang Syne” on New Year’s Eve, you were speaking Scots. The lyricist? Poet Robert (aka Rabbie) Burns.
Literally “old long since,” the three-word title means “old times’ sake.” When the Bard of Ayrshire sent the lyrics to an Edinburgh folk music publisher in 1788, he claimed he had written down what he heard an old man singing. But the “Auld Lang Syne” we know, though based on earlier songs and poems, was mostly Burns’s work; a decade later, it was set to the folk melody that — nearly 50 years after Guy Lombardo’s last broadcast from the Waldorf — is still going strong.
Beloved in Scotland and by those of Scottish descent everywhere, Burns, who also wrote in English, is one of the most approachable 18th-century poets. His witty, down-to-earth lyrics sometimes touch on philosophy or politics, but most often express strong feelings for the men, women (including his wife, Jean Armour) and children (some legitimate) he loved.
Perhaps a version of these lines from “To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest With the Plough, November, 1785” are familiar: “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men/Gang aft agley,/An’ lee’e us nought but grief an’ pain,/For promis’d joy!”
If you read J. D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye” in your youth or later, you are aware of another Burns poem, written the year before his mouse encounter, “Comin’ Thro the Rye.”
On and around Jan. 25, the poet’s birthday, various organizations, restaurants and pubs in the U.K., the U.S., Canada and other countries host Burns Nights. Several take place annually in Washington, D.C., or nearby.
What makes a Burns Night special? Men are encouraged to attend in kilts, if not full Highland dress. An orator pays tribute to Burns with a speech, referred to as “The Immortal Memory.” Bagpipes are played. After a few wee drams of whisky (no “e”), there is likely to be singing.
The menu typically includes “neeps and tatties” — turnips or rutabagas mashed with potatoes — and haggis, which Burns called “Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin-race!” The evening’s recitations of his poetry always include the 1787 “Address to a Haggis.” What is haggis, exactly? Mince the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep with onion and spices, then simmer the mixture in stock in a sheep’s stomach (artificial casing, these days).
No doubt, your appetite has been whet. Though registration is now closed, the most grand event must lead the list. Named for the patron saint of Scotland, the Saint Andrew’s Society of Washington, D.C. — successor to an 18th-century organization in Alexandria, Virginia — will hold its Burns Nicht [sic] Supper this Friday, Jan. 24, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a co-sponsor with the British American Business Association and the Scottish Government USA.
Among the private events are Burns Suppers hosted by the Cambridge Society of Washington DC, tonight, Jan. 21, at the Cosmos Club, and by the organization of foreign affairs professionals DACOR, on Jan. 23 at the DACOR Bacon House on F Street NW.
Let’s turn to some you could attend if you’re neither Scottish, a Cambridge alum or a diplomat.
On Burns’s actual birthday this Saturday, MacMillan Spirit House, 500 Montgomery St. in Alexandria, will serve a supper “featuring Balmoral Chicken (with haggis and whisky sauce), cullin skink, neeps and tatties, and dessert” ($79.99 + $20 Scotch tasting on Eventbrite). Correctly spelled, Cullen skink, named for the village of Cullen, is a yellowish chowder of smoked haddock, potatoes and onions. Sean Healy will provide the music.
Next, two opportunities to raise a glass in the District. On Monday, Jan. 27, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Burns Night at Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 2007 18th St. NW, will offer single malts, hors d’oeuvres, live music and poetry ($125 on Eventbrite); and on Wednesday, Jan. 29, the Burns Supper menu at the Queen Vic, 1206 H St. NE, pairs each course with a single malt ($132 at thequeenvicdc.com).
Finally, if you’re feeling light on your feet this Thursday, Jan. 23, the Northern Virginia Branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society will present a Burns Night Celebration with fiddler Becky Ross and pianist Liz Donaldson at the Woman’s Club of Arlington, 700 S. Buchanan St. ($10 at rscds-greaterdc.org). Beginners are welcome; visit the website for the dance list.