Cock-a-leekie soup  

(follow the link to watch the recipe on Youtube)  

My Heart's in the Highlandspar  

by Les Barra MacNeils

But it is especially in Scotland that Burns' song resonates with the most magnitude.

In July 1999, at the inauguration of the Scottish Parliament, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, "A Man's a Man'" was the song chosen to mark the highlight of the ceremony.

Sheena Wellington, a singer from the working-class city of Dundee, sings Burns' anthem, in front of all the country's television cameras, in a great moment of patriotic communion. More than a republican provocation against the Queen, the choice of this song is explained by the need to proclaim loud and clear the egalitarianism of the Scottish people

Thus throughout his work, Burns imposed himself in a society dominated by the English aristocracy.

He is at odds with the Presbyterian Church.

He is a man of rather free manners.

He became a tax official, because the farm he operated with his brother could not support them.

Amazing work for this Scotsman great whisky drinker, he is in charge of excise duties!

And always committed, this does not prevent him from writing poems in which he vilifies the taxes on this sacred drink! 

Burns researched the old ballads and popular songs. He renovated and modernized them.

The truly global success of "Auld Lang Syne" is a testament to Burns' total success. We've all sung one day, "It's just a goodbye." 

Undoubtedly, millions of people around the world sing Auld Lang Syne. Few will know all the words and even less what they mean.

They are attributed to Robert Burns who took up the tune and some words of an old lament in the dialect of south-west Scotland. This song has now become that of departure and farewell.

The main course  

The Haggis is the star of the meal (think of stuffed sheep)

At its entrance, everyone stands.

It is brought with the knife on a silver tray, preceded by a bagpipe player and followed by the one who will recite the ode to the Haggis and the whiskey carrier who will have to make sure that all the gosiers are well lubricated. It will be served with mashed potatoes and rutabagas and a whiskey sauce!

It must also be stressed that Burns is not only a Scottish icon, or even an Anglo-Saxon one.

His texts advocating equality and respect for men made him the inspiration of progressive thought in the nineteenth century and beyond, as we will see in this document.  

Step forward, and say to this young prime minister,

Honestly, openly, the truth is naked;

Tell him the thirst for Scotland and as well as I,

His humble servants:

May the great devil take you to the noon,

If you don't hide anything!

Some great does he take on a shabby and dark air,

Talk, and don't bite your thumbs!

Scotland, my respected old mother!  

Although sometimes you moisten your leather  

Until on the heather crop where you sit  

You were losing your water,  

Liberty and whisky work together!  

Take your gout!  

Robert Burns was born in 1759 and, as a result, he had not yet been able to write anything during Jamie and Claire's lifetime around 1745. Alexander Malcolm's publication is dated 1765 (when Burns was only 6 years old). So it could only have happened because Jamie had heard about it from Claire, the "Time Traveler".

This old document gave Claire the energy to go back to the eighteenth century to find Jamie. It was Roger, the historian, who found this jacobite separatist newspaper announcing in the title "Liberty and Whisky", a poem well known to scholars and Freemasons.

Roger doesn't know that Jamie has become a Freemason... but he knows that this is likely because this institution was born in Scotland. He also knows that Burns, a Freemason, wrote in his work a long plea for fraternity, liberty, equality.

Moreover, he understands that this Malcolm, who signs the article, is someone who was informed before the time of Burns' existence. For him, it can only be Jamie. So he's alive. Thus, he makes the link between Alexander Malcolm, Jamie Fraser and Burns, the poet whose "Liberty and Whisky" Claire liked to repeat.

But what was the motivation of the Scottish bard with this poem and why was it a reflection on his time?  

That's what we're going to discover!

Robert Burns is little known in France. However, French letters have always shown interest in Scottish culture because the links between Scotland and the country of Voltaire are very close.

We know David Hume, Ossian, Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and all this pantheon raised in the nineteenth century, the great period of nationalism, and admired by romantics, adventurers and even economists but Robert Burns, "the farmer with the plough" remained unknown for a long time across the Channel.

He tells us about the evening of a father who returns from the fields and the meal, surrounded by his family. Then they go to sleep. After a moment of intimacy of the couple, the author ends with his love for Scotland.

The Masonic rite is exercised from a circle in which everyone is equidistant from the center. At the beginning of the song, the brothers hold their hands by their side, symbolizing that they are strangers.

The first verses are sung softly as the brothers reflect on ancient memories and those who passed to the Grand Lodge from above.

When they come to the last verse, "And there is a hand, my faithful brother (friend)...", each brother extends his right hand of communion to the brother on his left, and then the left hand to the brother on his right.

He is the son of Scotland, the beloved child, whose birthday, January 25, has become a national holiday. 

Robert Burns is also known to scots as Rabbie Burns. 

This atypical man, son of the pastor of Alloway (Ayrshire), of peasant origin, will exploit the land all his life. From an early age, he received lessons from a tutor who contributed to his literary training. Indeed, education is of a high level in Scotland in the eighteenth century.

This symbolizes that they cross their hearts and automatically form a smaller, more intimate circle of friendship.

Now they have an unbroken chain of brothers who are close friends.

The tempo should then rise and, as they tap their feet, everyone enthusiastically sings the final chorus.

(Excerpt from an article in the Fall 1995 issue of a Victorian Masonic journal.)

But soon, singing came out of the Masonic sphere to become a universal song of friendship and the hope of seeing each other again.

Some documents speak of the use of the song during the separation of students at the end of American university graduations in the 1850s.

Within a few decades, the use of the song at graduation spread to Japan, where the melody – known as Hotaru no hikari.

Cullen skink 

(follow the link to view the recipe online)   

His love life was punctuated by many misadventures that resulted in several illegitimate children, including twins to the one who would eventually become his wife, Jean Armour.

On the verge of abandoning agriculture, he plans to go to the West Indies, make a fortune there and bring Jean Armour and the children. His first poems in Scottish dialect were published in 1786.

He recounts his loves, women, his love affairs.

And yet, the Scottish bard is the subject of great adulation in his native country. Raised to the rank of national hero during his lifetime and revered every year by the ceremonial Burns Night, Robert Burns remains the favorite historical figure of the Scots.

According to several polls, published regularly, the posthumous popularity of the poet even exceeds that of William Wallace, the great martyr of Scottish independence, made world famous by Mel Gibson's film Braveheart in 1995.

His poem "To a Mouse" is typical of this aspect of burns' art, who knows the countryside so well.

To a Mouse tells us the feelings of the poet who crushed a mouse nest with his plow.

Burns gives rise to feelings of affection for this small rodent. And in the manner of the fables of La Fontaine, it encourages us to reflect on the balance of power between man and nature and it continues on the future of humanity.

It is a real precursor!

Ae Fond Kiss  

Robert Burns lived all his life in Scotland, in his native county, known today to tourists as burns Country, and then in Edinburgh from 1787 to 1791. He then settled in Dumfries. Burns' life was very eventful because it was punctuated by sentimental, tragic or scabrous adventures, before his marriage to Jean Armour in 1788.

A Man's A Man For A' That - Sheena Wellington  

(Opening of Scottish Parliament)  

The drink  

The lashes are given by beer (sometimes wine), very often whiskey.

After the meal, it is time for connoisseurs to compare the wonderful selection of malts (uisge beatha) served by a generous host.

Robert Burns (1759–1796)

            « Freedom and whisky gang thegither » 

Words of a poet who writes in Scott.. 

During the procession, guests applaud the music until the Haggis reaches its destination. You raise your glass and toast the Haggis, then the dish is cut and served to each of the guests Everyone is seated in anticipation of the ode. Address to a Haggis is Burns' humorous ode to modest haggis. This poem presents haggis as a symbolic element of Scottish culture and helped to make haggis, not a popular dish, but the national dish of Scotland.

Arrival of guests  

A large Burns night uses a bagpipe player to welcome guests.

These must remain standing until the high table is ready to be seated, after which a round of applause is due.

Welcome from the President who warmly welcomes and introduces the guests and entertainment of the evening.

Selkirk's grace is a short but important prayer read to inaugurate the meal. The Selkirk Grace is also known as Burns's Grace.

It is a well-known thanksgiving, recited in the Scottish language before meals. Although it is attributed to Burns, the "Selkirk Grace" was already known in the 17th century. It took the name "Selkirk's grace" because Burns allegedly recited it at a dinner given by the Earl of Selkirk.

"Some have meat and can't eat.  

And some would like to eat it but can't.  

But we have meat, and we can eat,   

So may the Lord be thanked! »  

One of the other well-known facts about Burns is his love for ladies and this is also reflected in Burns' dinners.

The meal  

There is usually a soup to choose from between

At the end of the poem, the poet refers to all men, so that they "pray that meaning and value may reach the earth."

He hopes that the frivolous nature of society will be replaced by honesty.

If this change finally came to earth, all men would be equal. It would not even be necessary to talk about princes, dukes and lower classes.

All men will be brothers.

It is impossible to read this text without taking into account the fact that it was written at the end of the eighteenth century and that it is still read and applauded by a contemporary audience.

He is above all this Scotsman proud of his country, he will never stop describing this land of freedom... and will sing in simple words the love of his country.

With Mon cœur est dans les Highlands / My heart's in the Highlands,he became the champion of the Scottish diaspora.

Whisky and Freedom... two words that resonate like crystal in this saga.

Two saving words!

Let's remember the facts!

A certain Alexander Malcolm (Jamie Fraser) published an article in which the phrase "Freedom and Whisky" was quoted.

Claire had recited this poem to Jamie when they were together before Culloden.

And now the desserts ... if you're still hungry for some Scottish recipes!  

After his death, he became a source of inspiration for the founders of Socialism and even for Liberalism, when he denounced the stranglehold of the English... and it will unfortunately be recovered by one or the other dictator...

But he will be considered above all as a pioneer of romanticism. He will become a hero in the nineteenth century when Nationalism awakens in Europe. The paintings dedicated to the poet testify to this craze.

Nicknamed the bard of Ayrshire, his poems have gone beyond the Scottish sphere. They had a worldwide impact, such as "the song "Auld Lang Syne".

The Rendez-vous of January 25  

Entertainment  

The first facilitator follows immediately after the meal. Often, it will be a singer or musician performing Burns songs such as:

Rantin', Rovin' Robin  

My Heart's in the Highlands 

By Ross Harris 

But why talk about Robert Burns, a poet who was born more than a decade after Culloden and whose writings Jamie, such a cultured man, did not have the opportunity to read?

And yet, Diana Gabaldon refers to it... and the poet even becomes a key player in Jamie and Claire's reunion.

This dinner is an institution of Scottish life: a night to celebrate the life and works of the National Bard. Dinners can range from an informal gathering of friends to a huge formal meal full of pomp.

When you arrive at the coffee or tea, various speeches and toasts are made.

First toast: "To the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns" The keynote speaker delivers a speech recalling aspects of Burns' life or poetry. This can be light or serious and may include the recitation of a poem or song by Burns. It is followed by a toast to the immortal memory of Robert Burns.

Second toast: the ode to the "Lassies" (the ode to the ladies). This is a short speech by a male guest to thank the ladies, both those who (probably) prepared the meal, but also a broader tribute to the ladies, in the style of Robert Burns himself. It's usually fun and good-natured. The men then toast to women's health.

The answer of the "Laddies" (the answer of the ladies).

It is then that a guest presents her point of view on men, in response to the speech of the previous speaker, with generally quite broad remarks. This speech is often humorous and non-malice and will likely include comments about Burns' love for women.

After the speeches, there may still be songs,Songs by Burns (like Ae Fond Kiss, or A Man's a Man) or poetry (like "To a Mouse, To a Louse").

Foreign guests are often invited to sing or recite works from their own country.

Finally, the host will invite guests to stand up, join hands and sing Auld Lang Syne to conclude the evening.

And we'll end with Outlander.  

"Freedom and Whisky"reminds us of that period in Scotland's history when individual freedom was highly valued and sought after. Just as Claire longed for the life she had left behind, many of Burns' poems illustrated a yearning for the Scottish way of life without the burden of oppression.

Only thirteen years before Robert "Rabbie" Burns was born in Alloway, the Jacobite insurrection had taken place. As Burns reached adulthood, memories of the revolution were still alive after the disaster of Bonnie Prince Charlie's campaign and the failure of the uprising.

Outlander brilliantly addresses the horror of war and the total devastation created by the English victors. The execution, imprisonment, banishment and eradication of cultural pillars, such as the wearing of plaid, the Gaelic language and folk music so important to Scottish culture, were banned when the English began to dictate their law.

As a young man, Burns was already irritated by the hierarchy of the English in society, which had the effect that not all men were equal. A prominent Scottish nationalist of his time, Burns revolted against the oppression of the English, their unfair laws and exorbitant taxes.

When Burns wrote"The Author's Earnest Cry and Prayer" to Scottish representatives in the House of Commons, he expressed his anger at Parliament imposing taxes on Scotland's national drink. He felt that the British disadvantaged local distillers and those who used domestic stills to produce aqua-vitae (brandy).

Ma Luve is like a red rose  

We are in the Uk:

here is the cheese with bannocks (oat cakes) finishes the meal before the and tea/coffee

 John Anderson, my jo  

Auld Lang Syne   

He loves the humble. It describes the simple life of the peasant,without artifice, but with deep feelings.

It expresses the joys of conjugal love, of home after the working day.

"The Cotter's Saturday Night" 

is characteristic of this intimacy where we are far from London pedantry. Burns is again a pionee

Burns' poetry also and above all a committed poetry. 

In "A Man's a Man", he makes a long indictment on the equality of men. Noble, rich, poor, free or slave, a man is a man because such is his dignity.

Here is his story!

If Burns is known for his use of the Scottish dialect, it is in this revolutionary poem that he highlights his writing style throughout the text.

In fact, the phrase used in the poem "for a' that" comes from a Jacobite song published before Culloden.

In French, it was translated as et "cætera"... a modern translation gives us "it will be fine" with more revolutionary accents.

But still, according to custom, the haggis will be drizzled with a "touch" of whiskey sauce, a euphemism in Scotland.   

You Irish lords, you knights and squires  

Who represents our towns and counties,  

And do our business wisely  

In parliament,  

To you the prayers of a simple poet  

Humbly address each other  

Alas, my hoarse muse has a hoarse voice I

This would pierce with sorrow the soul of Your Honors

To see her sitting on her ass

On the ground in the dust,

And shouting prosaic verses,

As if it was going to die!

Tell those who have the main direction,

That Scotland and I are in great affliction

Since we put this damn restriction

On brandy;

Operate on them a strong conviction

And excite their pity.

But Burns' poetry is even more original because he devotes himself to the art of satire in the Scottish dialect.

He attacks the cooks or fools of his entourage, such as the portrait of a village apothecary, "Death and Dr. Hornbook" (illustration 1 and 3) who from the top of his status as a man of science grants himself with his potions the right to make the law, to judge and to replace the supreme judge, the great reaper.

Clootie Dumpling: a Scottish pudding prepared in a linen cloth. 

Link to the recipe   

For more than 200 years, every 25 January, the anniversary of Robert Burns' birth, Scots living in Scotland or abroad have celebrated their poet with a dinner, where they celebrate haggis and whiskey.

The poet wrote an ode to Haggis, a traditional Scottish dish!

This holiday is joyful and takes place in a well-defined way.

It recites poems by Robert Burns, dances and sings to the sound of bagpipes. This dinner must always be imbued with all the emotions of life.

This tune is played at the close of offices in some stores in South Korea.

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell used it to demonstrate the telephone, and in 1890 it was one of the first songs recorded on Emil Berliner's gramophone.

The use of the song in the New Year appeared around the same time, mainly through exiled Scots gathering in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London.

By 1929, the tradition was so well established internationally that a line of the song was displayed on the electronic teletypewriter during New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square, New York.

But it was the Scouts who played a key role in spreading his fame.

The song was sung at the end of the first World Scout Jamboree in 1920 and versions in French, German, Greek and Polish soon followed.

It's remarkable how this song, written in a language that even most Scots don't fully understand, has become synonymous with a new year around the world, friendship and brotherhood. But it's a simple tune to remember and hum. That's why this song went around the world.

Text: Françoise Rochet 

Illustration: Gratianne Garcia 

In a final battle, he sided with the French Revolution.  

He saw it as a hope and an example to follow for his native Scotland before he died at thirty-seven, as a result of a binge drinking, literarily famous but politically suspicious.

His funeral will be national!

... "He held on for some time, greening visibly, refusing to leave the bridge while the Scottish coast was still visible. "I may never see them again," he said in a dreary voice as I tried to convince him to get into the cabin. Leaning on the bastingage over which he had just vomited, he stared at the black line of the cliffs that we could still see, far behind us. 

"But yes, you will see them again," I said confidently. I don't know when, but I know you'll come back. He turned to me, puzzled, and then a faint smile appeared on his lips. »... 

"Slipping my hand under his arm, I watched Scotland slowly move away." ... 

Volume 3 Ch 41 « Moorings dropped »

A simple man, his rural origins developed in him the observation and love of nature,his respect and simplicity.

It becomes a delicacy of choice on its silver dish!   

With intelligence and subtlety, Diana Gabaldon makes the link between Jamie Fraser (A. Malcolm the printer), in the article found by Roger Wakefield when he reads this text: "you knights and squires who represent our boroughs and counties".

And with this nod to Burns' fight, we'll later learn that in addition to being a legal printer, Jamie is also a smuggler of fine spirits and whiskey.

Jamie uses his profession to spread anti-English propaganda for freedom. Burns also sought by disseminating his poems to defend the Scottish native drink without restriction.

In Scotland today, nationalism and the desire for freedom continue in earnest.

The ephemeral life of Robert Burns remains a lasting legacy for those struggling for self-determination.

Burns, a Freemason, received support from his fellow Masons who were instrumental in promoting his work during his lifetime and after his death.

When he died, a subscription was opened to support his wife and children.

Ten thousand people were present at his funeral.

Cravachant or tipsy laird ("lord éméché"): a trifle with whiskey, whipped cream, whiskey, honey, raspberries and oatmeal.   

Scotch broth   

(follow the link to view the recipe online)   

And give him Haggis, to this proud Highlander... 

Popular dish  

Very good critics decided him to stay in Scotland.

In 1786 he was admitted to edinburgh literary circles, which admired his work while continuing to operate his farm. He frequented castles without ceasing to dress as a peasant.

His poetry is not a unique phenomenon. He is the heir of a national tradition. Like his predecessors, Burns wrote in ancient English and the Northern Scottish dialect, Lawlan Scot, of the South Lawlands as opposed to Gaelic, the Celtic language of the North.

He borrows from the ancient Scottish poets, rhythms and stanzas that often came from the French poets of the court of Mary Stuart.

His romantic nature, his love of nature, poetry lead him to have another true passion, his country, Scotland.

While being the main worker on his father's farm, he read classic English works and fashionable works, including satires. He began to admire the Scottish, Medieval and Renaissance poets.

This artistic discovery prompted him to start writing. He escapes and dreams of a better world.

When his father died in 1784, Robert and his brother became partners on the farm.

Since he was fifteen, he has already developed his favorite theme: women. 

And in a hilarious poem, worthy of the great Molière and his Tartuffe, he attacks the hypocrisy of calvinist devotees. In "Holy Willie's Prayer" (illustration 2) among other poems on this subject, he denounces the narrow-mindedness of those who use Calvinist dogma to justify their turpitudes...

It originally told the story of two young men who separated after school.

They meet and remember their youth, the happy experiences lived and the caring people they met during those young years.

Burns, who became a Freemason at the age of 23, testifies in this song to his real interest in his love of humanity and his ideal of fraternity.

The cult of Burns has indeed long been observed (and sometimes still is, certainly more confidentially but no less enthusiastically)) in the former USSR, the former East Germany and the People's Republic of China.

The reason for this is that Burns, a poet adored by Karl Marx, was one of the champions of human equality.

The text was published in Karl Marx's journal, the Neue Rheinische Zeitung in 1838.

Influenced by the emancipatory wind of the French Revolution, he composed texts often held as harbingers of Socialism.

Published anonymously in August 1795 in the revolutionary newspaper of Northern Ireland, The Northern Star, this poem became, in the following century, one of the anthems of the young workers' movement. Indeed, the egalitarian and universalist impulse of the song appears, especially among the British Chartists (Reform Movement for Workers' Emancipation which animated British political life between 1837 and 1848) of the 1830s, as a premonition of the fight for universal suffrage.

It will become a classic text of left-wing movements, especially in Germany.

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