Let The Drink Talk

[Johnny]

Sun 22 Jan 2006

It's the ladies' turn to toast the laddies

JEREMY WATSON
jwatson@scotlandonsunday.com

A WOMAN'S a woman for a' that. Burns purists will be horrified, but a whisky society is breaking with more than two centuries of tradition by holding an all-female supper to celebrate the life of the Scottish Bard.

The hallowed Scotch Malt Whisky Society will this week hold a traditional Burns Supper with a mixture of both male and female guests.

But it is also putting on a women-only "Girl's Supper" because some females have in the past felt intimidated by the bawdy atmosphere of the typical male-dominated event.

A female piper will pipe in the haggis made by Jo Macsween, the "queen" of Scottish haggis makers. A female guest will give the "Immortal Memory" and there will be an informal "toast to the Laddies" instead of the Lassies.

The "response" will be made by a male Burns lookalike who will only be allowed in temporarily to perform for the female audience. The guests are each paying £75 for a ticket to the event, which will be held in the society's new Queen Street premises in central Edinburgh.

Although some "Lassies" Burns Clubs exist in Scotland, they invite men along to take part in traditional sections of the strictly formatted ceremonies. The Queen Street ceremony is unique for having no male guests.

Annabel Meikle, the society's corporate sales manager, said: "The society is renowned for its traditional Burns Suppers so we felt we wanted to do something different. They are normally very male-dominated and I wondered what would happen if we were to completely turn this around.

"Even though a Girl's Supper is not what is expected from the Malt Whisky Society, it has created a lot of interest. Some in the proper Burns Clubs may scorn the fact that women are even allowed in, but I think Burns himself loved women and if he had ever gone to a supper he would have had far more fun if there had been some 'soncie' [friendly] lasses there. We hope it will really take off and become part of the Burns heritage."

The only male to be allowed to attend the event will be an actor who will dress as Burns to regale the gathering with song and verse. "We will have a splendid chap who dresses up as Burns," Meikle said. "He's very dashing and swaggering and exactly what you imagine Burns to be like."

The supper will begin with a haggis starter being piped in, followed by a fish course, pudding and whisky chocolates, amid the speeches.

The traditional Address to the Haggis will be given by Macsween, the director of Scotland's most famous haggis manufacturer. "Quite honestly, I really like the idea, because it gets rid of the idea of 50 old men sat droning on in a room," she said.

"I'm doing the Address and it will be a cheeky little poem but only three verses long instead of the normal eight. This means that instead of eating the haggis cold we can all get cracking with the food."

BBC presenter Edi Stark will give the Immortal Memory - the tribute to Burns' greatness conventionally delivered by a man - and there will be a speech on 'Metrosexual Man'.

Macsween said she did not find traditional suppers intimidating, "more boring".

She added: "This is a bit like going to a civilised hen night. There will be a lot of talk about love. When 'Burns' arrives it will be like a male stripper turning up, so he'd better watch out."

Burns Suppers have been part of Scottish culture for about 200 years as a means of commemorating the "ploughman poet" from Ayrshire.

The ritual began in 1801, five years after his death in 1796, as a tribute to his memory. The basic format has remained unchanged and begins when the invited company receives the haggis, immortalised in a famous Burns verse, into the room. Thousands are now held around the world on January 25, the bard's birthday.

For most of the 19th century, the suppers were men-only affairs, but following the formation of official Burns Clubs in the 1870s, women started to be invited. Most now invite mixed company although some clubs in Scotland still insist on excluding women.

The World Burns Federation, which oversees the global Burns movement from its headquarters in Ayrshire, said the suppers were originally male-only.

"It was the fashion at the time that gentlemen met for supper and that was that," said Murdo Morrison, the Federation's marketing convener. "The Toast to the Lassies was to the ladies of the world; it didn't mean they were actually there. But times have moved on and mixed suppers are now the norm. I suppose all-girl events are the next logical step. I think Burns would have liked the idea because he clearly believed that women should be treated as equals."

The Falkirk Burns Club holds a male-only event, which was last year attended by more than 200 diners.

Vice-president Sandy Mitchell said: "Falkirk feels very strongly that it should be an all-male affair, mainly because it's a good lads' night out. I would support all-female suppers because that means there will be no reason why we can't have all-male ones as well."

FOR AULD LANG SYNE

THE main objective of a Burns Supper is to celebrate the memory of Robert Burns and Scottish heritage in general.

It should start with the chairperson's opening address: a few welcoming words to begin proceedings, followed by the famous 'Selkirk Grace'.

Next, a piper should lead in the chef, carrying the haggis to the top table. The chairman or invited guest then recites Burns' 'Address To A Haggis'. When he reaches the line "an' cut you up wi' ready slight", he slices open the haggis with a sharp knife. The company then stands and toasts the haggis with a glass of whisky.

The meal is now served and traditionally the "fare" is Cock-a-Leekie soup, haggis wi' bashit neeps an' champit tatties, clootie dumplin' and bannocks an' cheese.

The chairman then introduces the first entertainer, who may sing or give a Burns recital. 'The Immortal Memory', one of the central features of the evening, comes next. The speaker's job is to deliver a passionate speech on the life of Burns and his enduring relevance.

The main speech is followed by a more lighthearted address by a man to the women in the audience, the 'Toast to the Lassies'. The women get a chance to put across their opinions on the male species in the formal 'Response'.

Songs and poems are interspersed throughout the evening, culminating in 'Auld Lang Syne'.


This article:

http://www.scotsman.com/?id=106732006

Robert Burns:

http://heritage.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=162
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[talisker25]

[talisker25]

[Johnny]

Little gathering this year actually on the 25th, just whisky and beer and a few drinking quotes and a bit of Rabbies poetry thrown in. :D

Happy Burns night to all on Wednesday or the weekend, or whenever you get around to it
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