Geography and Typology of Contemporary Burns Suppers

This piece features an unprecedented, quantitative analysis of contemporary Burns Suppers. It is based on the broadest, most detailed database of Burns Suppers ever built since the nineteenth century, comprising more than 2,500 contemporary events across 145 countries. Such a wealth of data lends itself to a survey of Burns Night's various settings, comparing diverse approaches to Burns's poetry, Scottish culture, music, and food. Indeed, at the heart of this article lies a typology of Burns Suppers, distinguishing four main types of events – ‘ritualistic’, ‘Celtic’, ‘gastronomic’, and ‘social’. Challenging common perceptions of the Burns Supper as a traditionalist, ceremonious feast, these categories provide an initial blueprint for any further study of Burns Suppers in the twenty first century.