Burns' Night 2018

I had the good fortune of meeting an authentic Scotsman a few years back.  He, and another friend from the hinterlands of north England, introduced me, some years ago, to the marvel that is Burns' Night.

For those unfamiliar, Robbie Burns was a late 18th Century Scottish poet whose most familiar work is probably "Auld Lang Syne." After he died in 1796, several of his friends gathered the next year to remember him.  Over the Centuries, that gathering has been repeated and expanded into an annual "Burns' Night Supper" in which all those with Scottish heritage (and those who wish they had) gather to eat haggis, drink single malt Scotch Whisky, and reflect upon the man and the work that was Robbie Burns.

I've been in Japan for three consecutive Burns' Nights now (January 25, his birthday) and have been missing the tradition (not many Scots in Japan).  But, when I discussed the tradition with my housemate last year, he recommended a pub in Machida that included haggis on its menu.  So, this year, I organized a low-key Burns Night Supper at that pub.  My point in writing today is to share my toast to "The Immortal Memory" of Robbie Burns.  I hope you find something in it to improve your day.

"Robbie Burns was poetic, political, and perhaps most importantly, Pictish (that is, Scottish).

Now, if you ask anybody, the Scots are known for one thing only....

Braveheart. :-D

Well, perhaps they are known for two things:

Haggis and Scotch Whisky. :-)

But, seriously, I think it is true to say that the Scots are known for two things: Bravely venturing far from their homes; and yet never truly leaving it behind.

As a result, the Scots/Irish have left their indelible mark all over the world.

For example, even here in Japan, we have...

MacDonald's. :-D

But, truly, the Scots/Irish have been responsible for many advances in World Exploration and Science, and in Politics and the Arts.

Perhaps it is due to the Centuries of living the harsh life that results from existing in a rocky and mountainous and unforgiving land, that always seemed to be at the fringes of a greater empire like Rome or England.  Ths is not unlike the history of the people among which I now live.  As Japan too is a mountainous and unforgiving land, seemingly always at the fringes of the Mongol Golden Horde, or China.

For both the Japanese, and the Scots/Irish, living always at the fine edge of survival, perhaps the generations were able to build a shared cultural understanding of the necessity to be aware of, respect, and love the land and environment that both supported and also challenged their daily existence.  And also to be aware of, respect, and love the friends and families that performed the same.

This is something that connects all of us with each other, and with Robbie Burns.

Many of us here tonight (and reading this blog) have left our native home lands to live, or to work, or to explore.  And we share that same awareness, respect, and love of both nature and our fellow humans, whether in our work, or in our hobbies, or in both.

So, tonight, I ask us all to raise our glass in a toast to the author who, in a short lifetime, was able to put to words the feelings and yearnings of a nation, and also the feelings and yearnings of all of us here tonight.

Sláinte!"