Bagpipes and haggis.
That is how the first Robert Burns night celebration started at the Royal Canadian Legion in Humboldt on Jan. 16.
“Tonight is steeped in tradition.” Says Master of Ceremonies Ken Macnaughton.
The haggis was piped into the ceremony and addressed by Macnaughton with the Robert Burns poem, Address to the Haggis.
After supper, the haggis reply, which was done by Lynne Hoeber who is distantly related to Robert Burns himself.
“When I look back in my family history, I think, I should share it with people.”
According to Hoeber’s research, Robbie Burns is very possibly the uncle to her great, great grandfather.
Hoeber’s family stretches all across western Canada, all with this tie to Robbie Burns.
The haggis itself became a Scottish tradition because in Robert Burns’ days, the highlands were clearing out and there was not a lot of work in the cities, but Scottish men would not take charity from the churches, says Macnaughton.
“They devised haggis...they didn’t have any pots or pans, so they used a sheep’s stomach to hold it in.”
Macnaughton’s history goes back to the 1800s, he says, with the clan tartan going back to the time of King Nechtan coming over to Scotland from Norway.
Mary Jane Gagnon, Mannaughton’s wife, was there with her MacKenzie clan tartan.
“My grandmother comes from Banff, Scotland, and they are Kiloh, and they wear the MacKenzie tartan.”
Music was a tall order for the evenings entertainment with Maxine Moore singing traditional Scottish songs, as well as playing the fiddle, with Joan Jackson on the piano.
Stewart Williams and Lauchlan Maclean graced the crowd with tunes from the bagpipes, including Scotland the Brave and Amazing Grace.
Dancing and poetry were also a big part of the night as well with Eilish McAnally, along with her partner, Molly Crawford, wowing the crowd with high kicking Irish dancing.
Amber MacQuarrie-McDougall read a Robbie Burns poem, entitled My Peggy’s Charms for her mother who is also named Peggy.
Peggy McDougall has a long and colourful Scottish ancestry. On the walls were draped two tartans, one was her own McDougall clan tartan, the other her husband’s MacQuarrie clan tartan.
In the Scottish uprising of 1745, the McDougall’s and MacQuarrie’s were actually on opposite sides of the battle.
“And now we’re married,” she laughs.
For a German town, Mcnaughton says that he was happy at the response to this Scottish night.
Especially with everything that is happening in Canada now with immigration, it is important for people to try and understand different cultures, says Mcnaughton.
The main reason for planning a Robbie Burns celebration is for the future, says Mcnaughton.
“Tonight was a good start, excellent evening. And I believe that everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and everyone will leave feeling better about another culture.”
For Saskatchewan MLA Donna Harpauer, this is the exact reason she was there to celebrate with the Humboldt crowd.
“I think we should all celebrate our culture and traditions and do it together because we can enjoy other cultures and traditions and appreciate how important it is for Humboldt and region to have so many people working together to make the region a better place.” Says Harpauer.
“That was our goal and I do believe we’ve achieved it.” Says Mcnaughton.
Humboldt’s Robert Burns night was planned by a local group of people from Westminister United Church in Humboldt who wanted to give the night a try. Mcnaughton says a big thank you goes to the minister Brenda Curtis.
Because of their success, the group is now looking to start a WISE (Welsh, Irish, Scottish, English) chapter in Humboldt and area.
