The birthday of Robert Burns (1759–96), Scotland’s most beloved writer, is one of the most anticipated events in the Scottish calendar. Since the 1800s people have gathered for ceremonious suppers of haggis and sheep's head in honour of the poet. While restrictions may make this year somewhat different, there are still a few ways to celebrate the birth of Scotland’s national bard.

Traditionally, a Burns Supper opens with the piping in of the guests. Of course, guests this year will be on screen rather than in person and most of us probably won't have any bagpipes handy, so make do with some traditional music to signal the start of the night.

Next is the reading of Burns’s 'Selkirk Grace,' before the ceremonious piping in of the haggis, the event’s main dish. 'The Address to the Haggis,' the poet’s homage to the 'great chieftain o’the puddin-race,' and other readings follow. The patronising 'toast to the lassies' is an essential piece of theatre at any Burns’ Supper, as is the lassies’ sarcastic riposte. See VisitScotland's toast masterclass here. The night ends with a collective rendtion of 'Auld Lang Syne'.

No special occasion is complete without a dram of the drink that is the pure essence of Scotland. Light and flowery in taste, Glenmorangie is Scotland’s biggest selling single malt, while independent distiller Isle of Arran has worked with the World Burns Federation to produce an officially endorsed Burns Collection of blended whiskies and malts. Not a fan of whisky? Gin has become Scotland’s trendy tipple of choice. Mix a cocktail with Pickering’s Gin or Brewdog’s Lonewolf Gin. Whatever your tipple of choice, raise a glass to Rabbie Burns.

While Burns is one of the country's most celebrated and prolific writers, he belongs to a long list of acclaimed writers and enlightened thinkers. If you’re looking for some reading inspiration for 2021, why not try some of these great Scottish novels: Alasdair Gray’s Lanark (1981) has been heralded as a landmark novel in Scottish fiction; Irvine Welsh’s cult classic Trainspotting (1993) is notable for its use of raw dialect; Ali Smith’s award-winning short novel How To Be Both (2014), is split into EYES and CAMERA and the order of the two narratives differs across printings; and Kate Atkinson’s bestseller Life After Life (2014) offers an ambitious exploration of parallel timelines.

Burns' work was heavily inspired by his country and his mark can be found all over Scotland. When travel returns why not visit some of the places linked to the bard? The Burns Heritage Trail takes visitors on a driving tour of various sights from his birthplace in Alloway to his grave in Dumfries. Dumfries is also the location of the Robert Burns Centre, which focuses on the bard's years in the town, as well as Burns House, where he lived from 1793 to 1796. The Auld Brig O' Doon in Ayrshire features in Robert Burns’s famous poem 'Tam O’Shanter,' while the White Hart Inn in Edinburgh saw Burns say goodbye to his lover, Agnes 'Nancy' McLehose, before she emigrated to Jamaica. She became the inspiration for Burns' poem 'Ae Fond Kiss'.

Whatever your dream trip entails, DK Eyewitness ensures you experience all that Scotland has to offer.

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