PART ONE: ROBERT BURNS

Scotland is definitely the place to be in 2009. Commencing in January, there are more than 100 scheduled events that have been specially devised to celebrate the contributions made by Scots to the wider world. These will encompass the legacy of Robert Burns, Golf, Scotch Whisky, Great Minds and Innovation. Expertly packaged by VisitScotland under the banner of Homecoming Scotland 2009, Scotland's diversity will be seen at its best. In the forthcoming editions of Scotland Magazine, we will be highlighting these themes with our readers specifically in mind.

Starting off the schedule, the Homecoming Scotland 2009 programme commences on the weekend of 24th January with the 250th anniversary of the birth of our national poet and cultural icon Robert ‘Rabbie' Burns, whose message of friendship, as captured in the song Auld Lang Syne, lives on internationally.

The legacy of Robert Burns is synonymous with Scotland, and the festivities in his honour begin next year with a series of emotional tributes to his memory, from Celtic Connections in Glasgow, the world's largest Scottish music festival, to Burns Light, a dazzling lantern procession through the historic heart of Dumfries to mark his birthday.

Burns Night on 25th January, will also be marked with a spectacular outdoor celebration in Alloway's Burns Heritage Park, and a Homecoming Burns Supper which will be the centrepiece of the world's biggest Burns Supper celebrations.

For the first time ever, 36,000 objects from the Na...

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• By : Sally Toms
• In : Events
• Issue : 41
• Page : 29
• Words : 493