Burns Night kilting

[Jimmy]

Its interesting that your invitation gives a choice of dress and that sounds more like the old days! I don't go to Burns nights any more and have not done so for over 30 years, I could not develop a taste for haggis, or Mr Burns, and the events were getting more pretentious as time went on. I don't know if it was a Highland thing, but in my youth no one wore the kilt to a Burns do and we turned up in a sports jacket, or pullover and trousers of some sort, then suits crept in, then black ties turned up, then the kilt and black tie seemed to hi jack the event and the whole shooting match seemed to loose the plot! Well for me anyway. Have fun and have a wee dram for me!

you are right, its only in recent years that the kilt has become de rigeur for a Burns Night, but also wearing the kilt has been helped considerably by Lidl selling cheap outfits at affordable prices, a lot of my friends who never wore the kilt before because of the price are now kilted for occasions like these

[McClef]

I had been wondering why there had been nothing advertised about a January Ferintosh Burns Supper.

It's going to feel weird not being there at the end of this month.

[Jordan]

I had been wondering why there had been nothing advertised about a January Ferintosh Burns Supper.

It's going to feel weird not being there at the end of this month.

Aye I was wondering about that so I sent Robertson a message on facebook a few months ago asking. It has been advertised with the amended dates on kilt forum and at the Ferintosh website.
It would be good to see you again Trefor if your able to make it to the first one in march?

Jordan

[Tartan Hiker]

Jock,

I read with great interest your post further up in this thread. I had always assumed that Burns suppers have always been formal affairs. To find that in times past they were more casual is quite refreshing.

There is no local Burns supper event here, which is terribly odd considering the interest in Scottish culture in this area. I've been thinking about contacting some local establishments regarding offering one next year.

May I ask, please, when you get a chance, would you elaborate a bit on what the Burns suppers you used to attend were like? If I am going to try to put something together I'd like it to be more "traditional" (there...I used the "T" word! ) and not so over the top that people will not attend because they don't have formal attire. I'm quite motivated by the idea of a less formal, less "cookie cutter" Burns celebration.

Thanks!

[McClef]

Alas Jordan I couldn't persuade friend Mike (whom you met last January) to go, as he can't understand Burns Suppers being held in March, and travelling costs have escalated for driving up on my own.

So will have to give it a miss this year.

[CMcG]

Its interesting that your invitation gives a choice of dress and that sounds more like the old days! I don't go to Burns nights any more and have not done so for over 30 years, I could not develop a taste for haggis, or Mr Burns, and the events were getting more pretentious as time went on. I don't know if it was a Highland thing, but in my youth no one wore the kilt to a Burns do and we turned up in a sports jacket, or pullover and trousers of some sort, then suits crept in, then black ties turned up, then the kilt and black tie seemed to hi jack the event and the whole shooting match seemed to loose the plot! Well for me anyway. Have fun and have a wee dram for me!

I went to my first Burn's Supper last year and there was no dress code. Being held by one of the college's at my university, I expected to see students dressed mostly in tee shirts and jeans; I was correct.

The kilt was worn by several of the organizers, however, and they did the typical "wear everything Highland you own" thing: PC, waistcoat AND belt, black tie, glengarry, white hose, ghillie brogues, dirk, sgian, clan badge kilt pin, etc. I also wore my kilt, but with just a shirt and waistcoat. Compared to my fellow students, I was quite overdressed but compared to the kilties, I was highly underdressed!

[Jordan]

Alas Jordan I couldn't persuade friend Mike (whom you met last January) to go, as he can't understand Burns Suppers being held in March, and travelling costs have escalated for driving up on my own.

So will have to give it a miss this year.

That's is a shame hopefully another time then.

[Jock Scot]

Jock,

I read with great interest your post further up in this thread. I had always assumed that Burns suppers have always been formal affairs. To find that in times past they were more casual is quite refreshing.

There is no local Burns supper event here, which is terribly odd considering the interest in Scottish culture in this area. I've been thinking about contacting some local establishments regarding offering one next year.

May I ask, please, when you get a chance, would you elaborate a bit on what the Burns suppers you used to attend were like? If I am going to try to put something together I'd like it to be more "traditional" (there...I used the "T" word! ) and not so over the top that people will not attend because they don't have formal attire. I'm quite motivated by the idea of a less formal, less "cookie cutter" Burns celebration.

Thanks!

Well first of all we are talking, I suppose, of the 1950/60's where there was little cash to spare in the Highlands to spend on fripperies such as kilts! Those few that had any money made very sure that they did not flaunt it too often. The Laird, who may or may not have had any money,would rub shoulders with everyone else and everyone was on first name terms, but everyone knew their place in life and so life went on!Kilts were worn by a few on very special occasions and the same would hold true for a suit, however a "Burns night" was not regarded in any way as special!

As to the actual "Burns night" I think it was more a case of "any excuse for a party" than anything else. Probably the local school teacher might have muttered a couple of lines of Burns and the local Vicar may have said grace and away we went! I don't recall bagpipes and the dreaded haggis being marched in or anything like that, well, in the early days any way.

[macwilkin]

Jock,

I read with great interest your post further up in this thread. I had always assumed that Burns suppers have always been formal affairs. To find that in times past they were more casual is quite refreshing.

There is no local Burns supper event here, which is terribly odd considering the interest in Scottish culture in this area. I've been thinking about contacting some local establishments regarding offering one next year.

May I ask, please, when you get a chance, would you elaborate a bit on what the Burns suppers you used to attend were like? If I am going to try to put something together I'd like it to be more "traditional" (there...I used the "T" word! ) and not so over the top that people will not attend because they don't have formal attire. I'm quite motivated by the idea of a less formal, less "cookie cutter" Burns celebration.

Thanks!

To see a good example of a Scottish Burns Supper, visit:

http://www.robertburns.org.uk/burns_supper.htm

Please note though, that will many "formal" Burns Suppers describe themselves such, I've never seen anyone turned away (from our local Burns Supper) for being dressed in anything other than formal rig. We try to be very welcoming, and while we suggest formal rig, we have gents attending in suits and day wear.

I've been to great Burns Suppers that were formal; I've been to others that were more informal in dress, but the dress really wasn't what made them great evenings -- that came from the earnestness of the organisers to celebrate the works of Burns, and resist the temptation to throw a "cookie cutter" Scottish evening.

T.

[thescot]

Our own Burns Supper is about to experience its 5th year, and we clearly state that level of dress is at the option of the wearer. We have a mix of sweaters, argyls, and PCs. The dress is not important; the poetry, the cameraderie, the evening over all is the point, so we're pretty open as to what you wear.

No, we're very open as to what you wear. Heck, we even have people show up in trousers.