An immortal memory – Wylie Cunningham
January 25 is a very special date in the Scots’ calendar. It marks the birthday of our national bard, Robert Burns, born in humble circumstances 262 years ago.
I say Scots but, today, the celebration of Burns’s life and genius is a truly international occasion when thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of men, women and, indeed, children all round the world gather to pay tribute to him.
Or, at least, they do so in a normal year. 2021 is not a normal year, sadly. The curse of COVID-19 has made sure that this year’s celebrations will be much curtailed. So, it is perhaps a good time to take stock of why Burns is so important, not simply to the Scots but to so much of the world.
He was a great poet certainly and a fascinating character. But every other country has its literary giants. England holds no Shakespeare shindigs, Italy no Dante dinners, Russia no Pushkin purveys. So what makes Burns held in such affection?
Part of the answer lies in how we celebrate Burns’s birthday. It is not a Burns banquet or even a Burns dinner. It is, instead, a Burns supper, that intimate meal when family and close friends gather to enjoy each other’s company.
That reflects the person and the...