The Evolution of Burns Night, Traditions Binding or Breaking?
As Burns Night becomes more globally recognised, are the centuries-long traditions being replaced?
Tartans, tributes and ‘Tam O’Shanter’s, all bundled into one spirited annual celebration, that has honoured the works of Scottish poet, Robert Burns, for over two decades. However, is this long-paid tribute towards the enduring beauty of nature within literature suddenly being overshadowed with a more musical influence?
On 25 January yearly, it is estimated that 9.5 million people join a supper to celebrate Burns’ night globally for 266 years, including those tucking into a haggis supper or two at the summit of Kilimanjaro. Traditionally, its ritual is seen to be one that is familiar to all; there is an annual and reverent revival of Robert Burns’ 427 poems and songs, most famously, Auld Lang Syne to the quiet intimacy of To a Mouse. As these verses resurface each year, one cannot help but wonder: are we more drawn to the performance of Burns rather than the words on the page?
A recent survey by Making Music discovered that 76% of students surveyed found that performance and presentation were ‘essential skills’ to cultivating the mind, an educational shift that supports the notion that Burns Night is striking an alternate chord. The conventional anchoring of recitation and rituals, over raising a toast to Rabbie Burns, has clearly loosened to addressing the poet as Robbie, seemingly soundtracked by collaborative playlists rather than ceremony. While this ode to Burns Night has been one with controversial change, musically, a larger concern for tartan-clad loyalists has been the so called “Burns Bundles”.
Celebration intertwined with consumption is not a pairing one would anticipate from a tradition centuries long. Yet, while some settle down for a gourmet haggis and a Whisky, served by the local club, Royal Troon, others are peeling back the plastic on a ‘classic’ “Burns Bundle” just to tick Burns Night off a cultural bucket list experience. Between the space of these two extremely different ways of celebrating Burns and the meaning of it: is it no longer a living culture or just a neatly packaged moment at dinner time?
One can hope that, despite the newfound forms of celebrating an event rooted so strongly within Scottish culture, the desire to preserve the richness of Burns’ linguistic visionaries eclipses the commercialisation of such an occasion. Burns was not just known as a musically gifted genius, but was even more so, a poet of the people. His ardent love for his art was not just accumulated upon his love for writing, but his writing spoke to all. Directed at friends, lovers and foes, his work touched all. This reminds us that despite the evolving ways that people choose to celebrate Burns Night, as some rehearse their immortal memory and others curate fresh playlists with lively tunes, Burns’ Night remains a shared occasion for all.
So, next Burns Night, when you are deciding whether to go traditional and ceilidh dance or have a wee party in your nearest club, Robbie Burns, a man who aimed to spread the wonders of diversification through literature and lyricism is a man who I am sure would not mind the flourishment of such an established event and turn it into much more than what it has always been known for.
As Burns Night becomes more distinctive universally, the likelihood that Burns will be celebrated for decades to come becomes more probable, and as we come to celebrate 266 years, many more are joining the celebration with new ideas complementary to Burns’ prodigious personality!
