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Listen "Episode 106 What Is Burns Night And Why Is It So Special To The Scottish?"
Episode Synopsis
Today is Burns Night. This is a big night in Scotland when the Scottish poet Robert Burns is celebrated.
In this episode I'll give you some history about Burns, I'll tell you a bit about how Burns Night is celebrated and I'll read a little excerpt from Robert Burns' poem Tam O'Shanter. I'll put the translated version of the poem in the subtitles of the YouTube video.
If you'd like to read along with me you can see both the original and a translated version of the poem here: http://www.robertburns.org.uk/Assets/Poems_Songs/tamoshanter.htm
If you'd like to watch an animation (without words) of the poem, so you can understand the story, you can find that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nKXaoMQDdc&t=64s
Alternatively, if you'd like to hear the poem read by a real Scotsman, you can hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiATxrzZamE
I hope you enjoy this fun episode.
Vocabulary
Bard - someone who writes poems and sings songs, both Burns and Shakespeare are often referred to as 'the bard'.
boggy - waterlogged land
woo the women - 'woo' means to flirt with
lyrics - the words that go to songs
everything kicks off - when we start a game of football we 'kick off' so if something 'kicks off' then it begins. 'To be kicked off' means to be thrown out of something.
off ski - Scots for 'get out of here', can be used for yourself 'I'm off ski' or someone else 'he's off ski'.
he met with the great and the good - idiom - meaning famous or well known people
he was a lover not a hater - idiom - meaning someone who was usually friendly (or lovers) with people rather than fighting
womanizer - describes a man who is always flirting with and often in relationships with many women
various guises - various roles or jobs
descendants - children of your children
haggis - a Scottish food made sheep meat.
neeps and tatties - turnips and potatoes (Scots dialect)
ceilidh - a Gaelic word meaning 'dance'
ghoulies - demons or unexplained scary creatures
In this episode I'll give you some history about Burns, I'll tell you a bit about how Burns Night is celebrated and I'll read a little excerpt from Robert Burns' poem Tam O'Shanter. I'll put the translated version of the poem in the subtitles of the YouTube video.
If you'd like to read along with me you can see both the original and a translated version of the poem here: http://www.robertburns.org.uk/Assets/Poems_Songs/tamoshanter.htm
If you'd like to watch an animation (without words) of the poem, so you can understand the story, you can find that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nKXaoMQDdc&t=64s
Alternatively, if you'd like to hear the poem read by a real Scotsman, you can hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiATxrzZamE
I hope you enjoy this fun episode.
Vocabulary
Bard - someone who writes poems and sings songs, both Burns and Shakespeare are often referred to as 'the bard'.
boggy - waterlogged land
woo the women - 'woo' means to flirt with
lyrics - the words that go to songs
everything kicks off - when we start a game of football we 'kick off' so if something 'kicks off' then it begins. 'To be kicked off' means to be thrown out of something.
off ski - Scots for 'get out of here', can be used for yourself 'I'm off ski' or someone else 'he's off ski'.
he met with the great and the good - idiom - meaning famous or well known people
he was a lover not a hater - idiom - meaning someone who was usually friendly (or lovers) with people rather than fighting
womanizer - describes a man who is always flirting with and often in relationships with many women
various guises - various roles or jobs
descendants - children of your children
haggis - a Scottish food made sheep meat.
neeps and tatties - turnips and potatoes (Scots dialect)
ceilidh - a Gaelic word meaning 'dance'
ghoulies - demons or unexplained scary creatures
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