I hear you have been having a lot of snow days! The weather in Edinburgh is nice and warm (in the 40s) but a bit rainy sometimes. A couple of weeks ago my friends and I celebrated the Scottish holiday called "Burns Night," which is a day celebrating Robert Burns.
Robert Burns was a poet born on January 25, 1759 in Scotland. He is called Scotland's National Poet, which is why we celebrate his birthday. Burns wrote many poems about Scotland, and he wrote in English and Scots, which is a Scottish language (another is Gaelic). For Burns Night, we had a "Burns Supper," which is a party where everyone eats traditional Scottish food: haggis, neeps, and tatties. Neeps and tatties are Swede and Potatoes, and haggis is meat with seasonings and oats. It's really yummy!
At the start of the dinner, a poem is read called Address to the Haggis, which was written by Burns. It's all about the delicious food we are about to eat! It is written in Scots, but you can also get an English translation. Here is the last bit of the poem (called a stanza):
Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,
Gie her a haggis!
and in English:
You powers who make mankind your care
And dish them out their meals
Old Scotland wants no watery food
That splashes in dishes
But if you wish her grateful prayer
Give her a haggis!
Do you have any poems that your family likes to read? What about special dinners you celebrate? (What about Thanksgiving?)
Burns wrote many poems and songs during his life. Have you ever written a poem? Give it a try!
America celebrates poetry too. April is National Poetry Month. If you were planning a poetry party, what would you eat? What would you do at the party? Maybe you could try writing a poem to read out loud for your guests.
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