Burns Night: How to celebrate Scotland’s most famous bard in 2021

Robert Burns is celebrated every January 25, but this year the global pandemic is taking festivities online

A man dressed as Robert Burns at the Burns & Beyond festival. January 25 is Burns Night, but the 2021 celebrations of Scotland's most loved poet are going online. Courtesy Burns & Beyond Festival

Around the world, haggis is being toasted, bagpipes are being piped and neeps and tatties roasted as Scots celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns.

Known in medieval Celtic culture as a storyteller, verse maker and composer, the word "bard" is synonymous with the world's greatest poets, but few are as lauded as Scotland's Robert Burns, whose birthday was on January 25.

Involving several traditions, such as the Address to a Haggis, a toast to the poet's memory, and rousing renditions of the bard's many famous poems and songs, Burns Night is not just a Scottish affair. Research by the Centre for Robert Burns Studies and the University of Glasgow found that an estimated 2,500 Burns Night events take place in some 150 countries every year, including as far afield as Antarctica.

In 2021, because of the global pandemic, Burns Night looks set to be a little different, as many events go virtual. From Scotland's biggest Burns Supper to the Burns & Beyond festival, there is a wealth of digital happenings set to mark the Auld Lang Syne poet's life. Log on to join in or host your own at-home celebrations.

From digital quizzes and virtual events, to DIY Burns’ suppers, here’s how you can celebrate Ayrshire's favourite son.

Host your own virtual Burns Night

Host a virtual Burns supper. Organise a family Zoom to toast Scotland's bard as you join family and friends wherever you are based. There is a free Robert Burns-themed Zoom background available from Scotland's tourism organisation, VisitScotland, to help you set the scene.

This Robert Burns quiz is free to access online. Questions range from facts about the poet's life and identifying lines from his poems to true or false choices and Burns' related anagrams.

Serve a Burns Supper

Essential ingredients for a Burns supper include haggis (a big mealy sausage; vegan and vegetarian options available) and neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes). It’s customary to read Burns's appreciation poem to haggis before serving the meal.

For some relevant background tunes to accompany your eating, Spotify's A Burns Night playlist – curated by VisitScotland – includes a couple of classics such as Flower of Scotland and Scotland the Brave, but is also full of hits from contemporary Scottish artists like Calvin Harris, Paolo Nutini and Travis.

#Hashtag a toast

An important part of any Burns Supper are the many different toasts. You can toast the arrival of the Haggis and the memory of Burns, then take part in the good-natured "Address to the Lassies" and "Reply to the Laddies" toasts.

Toasting can be done with any drink, except water, which is considered bad luck.

Whether you are Scottish by birth, ancestry or just inclination, in 2021 everyone is invited to raise a virtual toast on Monday night.

VisitScotland is asking people to record a simple toast via video, photographs or poetry and post it on their social media alongside the hashtag #BurnsNightin.

"We want to celebrate the international reach and resonance of the Bard's words and their continued ability to connect us and bring us together, even when times are challenging and Covid-19 restrictions mean we can't physically come together as we would do normally," said a representative for VisitScotland.

Go ceilidh dancing 

If you want a bit of a Burns Night workout, then Scottish ceilidh dancing is one way to burn the calories. Dating from the 19th century, the style developed from village hall dances in rural parts of Scotland and remains largely the same to date.

An informal style of dance, ceilidhs are often run by a caller who selects dances and provides basic instruction to ensure everyone can join in.

Some ceilidh dances have been part of the Scottish dancing scene for many years and are an intrinsic part of the country's culture. Popular numbers include The Dashing White Sergeant and The Gay Gordons. Put on some comfortable shoes, clear space in your living room and head online to join the Burns Night Ceilidh with The Nest Collective.

From 8pm on Monday, this free ceilidh will include a caller, demonstration dancers, special guest musicians and more. Register online here for the event, or get some practice dances in here.

World’s Biggest Burns

Travis frontman Fran Healy is teaming up with Scottish comics Janey Godley and Fred MacAulay to host the world's biggest virtual Burns supper. Free of charge, this hour-long spectacle will be cast across YouTube and Facebook at 7pm UK time. Organised by charity Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland, there's the option to bid on prizes or make a donation. You can sign up here.

Big Burns Supper

A Burns supper digital get-together is set to stream on YouTube at 7pm UK time on Monday. Hosted by Scottish comedienne Janey Godley, the free event will welcome musicians, comedians, actors and historians from across the world, beamed into your living room. Singer KT Tunstall will perform live from Los Angeles and there will also be sets from Dougie Maclean, Donovan and a performance from the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.

Burns and Beyond

The three-day Burns and Beyond festival celebrates all things Robert Burns via traditional and contemporary art and culture until Monday night. There's a plethora of song, poetry and dance on offer. Find out more about the life of the bard via a showcase of historic artefacts on display at the National Museum of Scotland. Children will love Macastory's Burns for Bairns, an online storytelling show, and Ricky Ross of the rock band Deacon Blue will be performing his unreleased track Still Walking live on Burns Day.