West Compton Manor: Tonight is Burns Night!

There'll be tales of Nessie, Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Honours of Scotland. Haggis and whisky will be consumed in copious amounts and afterwards poetry and singing of old Scottish favourites such as the Flower of Scotland ....Yes, in case you hadn't all ready guessed it's Burns Night tonight!

We're off to a Burns supper this evening, where the neeps and tatties are allowed an annual airing, discreetly hidden by swathes of tartan! There'll be talk of Robert the Brave and the Stone of Destiny and 'the water of life' will be consumed as if our lives depend upon it!

I've been asked to put together a topical quiz to entertain the guests and I thought you might enjoy testing your own knowledge. The answers are at the bottom of the page ...good luck!

1. Why were the first Burns supper’s held on the 21st of July ?

2. What is the name given to the following thanksgiving said at the start of a formal Burns supper?

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it;

But we hae meat, and we can eat,

And sae let the Lord be thankit.

3. What are you meant to do as a haggis is bought in at a Burns supper, while bagpipes are played and before the recital?

4. What Burns poem first published in 1791, tells the story of a man who stayed too long at the pub and witnessed a disturbing vision on his way home?

5. What is recited called which is read before the haggis is served at a Burns Supper?

6. In which well know Scottish soup often served as a starter at a Burns supper is barley one of the main ingredients?

7. What animal was Burn’s writing to in his poem which starts:

Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty

Wi bickering brattle!

I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,

Wi' murdering pattle.

8. What are “hurdies”, mentioned in recital before serving the haggis?

9. What happens during the recital before the serving of the haggis at a Burn’s supper when the line “An' cut you up wi' ready slicht” is read.

10. What is the relevance of the 25th of January in relation to Robert Burns?

11. Apart from Robert Burns to whom are three other toasts proposed at a traditional Burn’s supper?

12. What does the word ‘ae’ mean in the poem “Ae Fond Kiss” written by Burns about Nancy McLehose as she sailed from Greenock to the West Indies?

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever!
Ae farewell, and then forever!
Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.

13. What was the first Burns club know as?

14. What song written by Burns is traditionally sung at the end of a Burns supper?

15. What three things are traditionally included in Burns Night celebration?

16. In 1803, why did the date change on which to hold a Burns Supper?

17. When did Robert Burns die?

18. Give me another name by which Robert Burns was known?

19. Which movement is Robert Burns regarded as a pioneer of?

20. Can you give me the word to the chorus for Auld Lang Syne?

21. Where was Robert Burns Born?

22. Other than a Poet and lyricist, what where Robert Burns other jobs?

23. Which country was the first in the world to honour Burns with a commemorative stamp, in 1956?

24. Who was Burn’s lover?

25. Which memorials and statues to Burns in the following list actually exist?

A replica of the cottage where he was born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
A statue outside the State Library of South Australia in Adelaide, Austrialia.
A bust on a plinth at Inverness College, in Inverness, Scotland.
A monument a short distance from his birthplace in Alloway, Scotland.
A bust in Hermann Park, Houston, Texas, USA.

Answers:

1. It was the anniversary of his death.

2. The Selkirk Grace, because Burns delivered it at a dinner given by the Earl of Selkirk.

3. Stand up.

4. Tam o’Shanter.

5. Address to a Haggis.

6. Scotch Broth.

7. A mouse.

8. Buttocks.

9. The reader plunges a knife into the haggis and cuts it open.

10. It was his birthday.

11. The monarch, the lassies and the ladies.

12. One. “One Fond Kiss”.

13. The Mother Club.

14. Auld Lang Syne.

15. Haggis, Scotch Whisky and a recitation of Burns' poetry.

16. Because they discovered by looking at the parish records that the 29th (the date of the first supper in 1802), was not in fact his birthday, it was the 25th.

17. 21st July 1796.

18. Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, the Bard of Ayrshire, or in Scotland simply as The Bard.

19. The Romantic movement.

20. For auld lang syne, my jo, for auld lang syne, we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.