BOWDEN -- About 60 people came out to the Bowden Grandview School library Jan. 26 for the 21st annual Burns In Bowden event. It celebrates the birthday of renowned Scottish poet Robbie Burns.
Tartans hung from the ceiling in various colours. A picture of Burns could be seen on a table along one wall.
Teacher and MC for the celebration, Bill Whitehead, pointed out Jan. 25 was the 259th anniversary of Burns’ birth. He said it was important to celebrate Burns’ birth because Scottish immigrants did a lot to make Canada the country it is today.
Whitehead and Michael McLetchie recited some of Burns’ poetry, as did members of Whitehead’s Grade 4 class.
Abby Huising performed several traditional Scottish Highland dances.
McLetchie’s wife, Marion, showed members of the class and the audience how she played the drum during Scottish ceremonies.
The highlight of the celebration occurred when the haggis was piped in.
McLetchie gave the traditional address to the haggis, complete with a flourish of swipes in the air with a sword and a final plunge of the sword into the haggis.
After that, students, then members of the crowd, were invited to taste samples of the haggis.
Paige VanSickle was the first student to try a sample of the haggis.
When asked what she thought of it, she said, "It’s OK. It’s really moist.”
She thought it tasted "really different,” but a bit like beef.
When asked if she’d ever try it again, VanSickle said, "well maybe, if I had the chance to.”
Georgia Verhoeven was more positive.
"I like it. It’s good,” she said. "To me it just tastes like normal meat.”
Verhoeven said she liked the onions in it.
"If we ever get it again I would like it again,” she said.
However, Verhoeven was a little alarmed to hear what haggis originally consisted of: the ground-up liver, heart and lungs of a sheep, mixed with animal fat, oatmeal and various spices, like coriander, salt and pepper. It was then packed into a sheep’s stomach and boiled.
She admitted that "kind of” bothered her.
Brooklyn Giles was more emphatic.
"Ewww,” she said. "I don’t think I’ll be trying it!”
Whitehead thanked the Grade 4s for their participation.
"It’s not easy memorizing all this poetry from Robert Burns. It was written in the vernacular of old Scots. The words are not always familiar,” he said. "But they were up to the challenge, and I daresay they enjoyed it even,” Whitehead said, sparking some laughter.
"You’ll see how much they embraced it. I mean, tartan, plaid shirts; some of them brushed their hair today,” he added, sparking even louder laughter.
After the ceremony, several students and members of the crowd tried some traditional Scottish scones and shortbread cookies.
Bill Whitehead, teacher at Bowden Grandview School
"The words are not always familiar. But they were up to the challenge, and I daresay they enjoyed it even."
