He stabbed the haggis. Then he squeezed it.
“But mark the rustic, haggis-fed,” boomed out Gordon Titsworth during the Robbie Burns dinner at the Eagles Hall on Baker Street Saturday night. He was quoting the 18th century Scottish poet while waving around a ceremonial knife.
“The trembling earth resounds his tread.”
This “Ode to Haggis” ceremony is one that has been happening since the annual event was first held in Nelson, back in 1921, and the Kootenay Kiltie Pipe Band packed the evening with hours of multi-generational fun. The night’s emcee was Tom Thomson, who entertained the crowd with ribald anecdotes.
And then there was the haggis. Eighty pounds of it, to be precise. And for those of you who don’t know what it is, haggis traditionally consists of sheep organs, suet, spices and salt encased in an animal’s stomach — and yes, the Star reporter ate and thoroughly enjoyed a full portion.
“This is a fun way to celebrate the Scottish culture in our community,” Selkirk College president Angus Graeme, who plays bagpipes in the Kootenay Kiltie Pipe Band, told the Star.
“And it’s that one time of the year that we can all eat haggis, enjoy some of the poems Robert Burns wrote, and feature highland music.”
Graeme appreciated all the literary tributes offered to Burns over the course of the evening, with songs such as “Tae a Moose” being recited aloud.
“These Robbie Burns suppers happen all over the world, all around his birthday on the 25th. He wrote over 500 songs and poems, and died in his 30s. He emerged at a time when Scotland was really trying to save its culture.”
He said the Kootenay Kilties routinely play Burns tunes.
“The ‘Ode to Haggis’ is an entire song about a sausage, and so well put. He had this really special way of capturing some of the stories and folk songs of the Scottish diaspora and preserving that part of our culture.”
Graeme said many are unaware of how active the Kilties are, backing up musical acts such as BCDC and Johnny McCuaig and making appearances at weddings and funerals. And though they’ve experienced a bit of a membership drop, they’re looking for ways to keep the Scottish spirit alive in the Kootenays.
“For a young person who wants to get into a different sort of musical tradition, our lessons are free on Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m. at the Legion,” Graeme said.
“They can be up on the bagpipes in under two years, which sounds like a long time but it’s an extremely tricky instrument to learn. Once you get it, though, it’s a gas.”
Graeme said people don’t realize what an important artist Burns was.
“People tend to focus on his rockstar life. He had a lot of hangers-on and fans, and he ended up dying of over-indulgence. Thousands attended his funeral,” he said.
“But he was a tremendous artist who could apparently compose poetry at will, be it at a dinner party or a social gathering. Not a lot of people could do that. This evening is about all the ways we can share with the community the work of this great writer.”
Burns passed away in 1796.
Star reporter Will Johnson delivered the toast to the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns during the ceremony.
