Robbie Burns night celebrates Scottish traditions – Vermilion Standard – Alberta, CA:

“Mannville’s Recreation Centre will turn a little Scottish in celebration of Robbie Burns’ night this year.

An annual Scottish tradition, Robbie Burn’s night is typically held on January 25, but in Mannville it will happen on January 23, a Saturday. The evening gets underway at 5 p.m. with cocktails, a meal at 6 p.m. with a dance to follow. One of the highlights of the event is the performance by the Mannville/Vermilion Dance Club. Dot Cleland, the president of the dance club, said the night is a lot of fun and full of Scottish tradition.

‘It’s the Scottish tradition to celebrate Robbie Burns and we do it with a meal and some highland dance and song,’ said Cleland.

‘We’ll have haggis and turnips as well as roast beef. But the traditional part of it is the turnips and the haggis.’

Traditionally Dr. Stewart Hunter performs the address to a haggis, which is a poem Robbie Burns wrote. Cleland says it is part of the evening’s tradition, however this year Dr. Hunter won’t be in attendance.

‘There’s a weird tradition where Scotsmen talk to their food before they eat it,’ said Cleland.

‘They address the haggis. It’s about sheep and the parts of the sheep you eat. So they talk to the sheep they are about to eat and the tradition is for someone to do a performance with the dagger (Skian Dubh) in their sock.’

The highlight though, Cleland said, is the show put on by the dance club.

‘The Mannville/Vermilion Highland Dance club puts on a show of traditional highland dancing,’ said Cleland.”

(Via www.vermilionstandard.com – Read Full Article.)