INTERMISSION TWO IMPORTANT SCOTTISH HOLIDAYS: BURNS NIGHT & HOGMANY
BURNS NIGHT is celebrated every year on 25 January in honour of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns. The Ayrshire poet and lyricist died in 1796, at the age of 37, but he is still regarded as the most prominent poet to have written in the Scots dialect. READ BURNS NGHT - A STYLE GUIDE HERE Piping in the HAGGIS . . . HOGMANY is Scotland's traditional, extravagant celebration of New Year's Eve, a massive festival of parties, music, fireworks, and unique customs like "first-footing" (the first person to cross the threshold in the New Year) and singing Auld Lang Syne at midnight. Celebrations often span several days, featuring torchlight processions [as pictured at left, from 2011], bonfires, and large street parties, especially famous in Edinburgh, stemming from historical traditions and the banning of Christmas in Scotland for centuries. Hogmany in Edinburgh

CONTINUE WITH
JACKIE McGUINNESS GOES HOME HERE