January 31

This weekend we had the fun of celebrating Robert Burns with a dinner in his honor with about 100 other locals at at the only hotel here in St. Monans.  For those of you who don't know who Rabbie Burns is here is a little information.

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) (also known as Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, Robden of Solway Firth, the Bard of Ayrshire and in Scotland as simply The Bard) was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a "light" Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these his political or civil commentary is often at its most blunt.The dinner is meant to be a fun evening, and has many a tradition attached to the evening.
The first is the Selkirk prayer.

Contemporary
Some have meat and cannot eat;

Some cannot eat that want it:
But we have meat and we can eat

So let the Lord be thanked!

Traditional
Sae let the Lord be thankit! Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some would eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.

The Selkirk Grace by Robert Burns
                                                        

After the grace came the pipping of the haggis:  What is haggis you ask?
From Wikapedia:
Haggis is a kind of sausage, or savoury savory cooked in a casing of sheep's intestine, as many sausages are. As the 2001 English edition of the Larousse Gastronomique puts it, "Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour".
The haggis is a traditional Scottish dish memorialised as the national dish of Scotland by Robert Burns' poem "Address to a Haggis" in 1787. Haggis is traditionally served with "neeps and tatties" (Scots: swede, yellow turnip or rutabaga and potatoes, boiled and potatoes separately) and a "dram" (i.e. a glass of Scotch whiskey), especially as the main course of a Burns supper. However it is also often eaten with other accompaniments.Our menu consisted of:
Cockie-a-leekie soup  (a chicken broth soup with leeks and carrots)
Haggis
Neeps
Tatties
Cloutie dumplingAfter the dinner we had speakers who gave us toast to the Lassies, toast to the Laddies and of course toast to Rabbie Burns.  We enjoyed all of the fun toast, mostly making fun of the Lassies and Laddies and honoring the poet Rabbie. 
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Mr. Burns he did indeed write many poems which are familiar with with like "My love is like a red red rose".  
The evening closed with his famous song, which we all held hands as we sang "Auld Lang Syne".

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o'kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.
We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.
We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.
And there's a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

Translated:
and never remembered
Should old friends be forgotten
and the days they shared together
Chorus
For days now in the past, my dear
For days now in the past
We'll drink a toast of kind remembrance
For days now in the past
You can pay for your pint tankard
and I will pay for mine
We'll drink a toast of kind remembrance
For days now in the past
We two have run about the hillsides
and pulled wild daisies
but now we are far apart in distance
From those days now in the past
We two have paddled in the stream
from morning until noon
but oceans now lie between us
since those days now in the past
So take my hand, my trusty friend
and give me your hand
and we will take a hearty drink together
In memory of those days now in the past
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu8hwvvmEhc&feature=related
We had a lovely evening celebrating a Scottish poet and meeting new friends.
May you have such a lovely evening.
Love until we meet again.
Dawn