It’s Burns Season, the wonderful time of the year when Scotland and the world celebrate the national bard and his legacy. There are thousands of Burns Suppers celebrated around the world; an interactive map developed in 2020 by the University of Glasgow showed over 2,500 Burns Suppers in nearly 150 countries across six continents. According to a 2020 report authored by SAHA co-chair Professor Murray Pittock FRSE MAE, almost 10 million people worldwide are estimated to attend Burns Suppers every year.
Last year, in an episode of our podcast SAHA Global Conversations, Professor Çiğdem Balim(Emerita Distinguished Senior Scholar Center for the Study of the Middle East SGIS, Indiana University), explained how she co-organises a very special annual Burns Night in Fethiye, Turkey (you can listen to the episode here).
This year, we are going to Budapest, Hungary, where for the past 27 years the Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) has been organising a fantastic Burns Supper. We asked Mr. Douglas Arnott BEM, Chairman of RBIF, how the Scottish community in Hungary celebrates Burns and how the Foundation started to successfully host one of the most wonderful events in Budapest. The annual Burns Supper is one of the longest running charity events in Budapest.
Mr Arnott is one of the many Scottish people living in Budapest and has been Chairman of the RBIF’s Board since 2014.
How and when did the tradition of Burns Supper in Budapest start?
The first Burns Supper in Budapest was organised in 1998. What started out as an event organised for friends and family eventually attracted a couple of hundred people, and there was some money left over at the end. Since the purpose of the event had not been to raise funds, or be left with any, it was suggested that we could donate this to a local hospital, which we did.
The following year, we took a different approach, and went to the hospital first, asking the doctors how we could help if we managed to raise a certain amount of money. They responded saying they could really use a new operating table. With the help of a company in Edinburgh we had an operating table delivered to Budapest (not yet paid for), and it was wheeled into the middle of the event hall. The guests were told that this was the target for the evening, to raise enough money to buy the operating table, which they duly did. The operating table was taken to the hospital, where it is still in use today.
That signalled the start of the fundraising efforts that have been synonymous with the Budapest Burns Suppers ever since.
Why is it important to host a Burns Night in your local community?
The Robert Burns International Foundation’s activities rest on 3 pillars, Charity Fundraising, Cultural Exchange, and Corporate Social Responsibility. It is part of our second pillar that we organise a Burns Supper every year, to promote Scottish culture in our host country of Hungary. Having said that, our Burns Suppers are somewhat different as this is also Hungary’s longest-running charity event, as we raise money for sick and underprivileged children around the country, so it definitely links into our first pillar of Fundraising too.
Do you have the support of the British Embassy?
We certainly do, the UK’s Ambassador to Hungary is our Honorary Patron, and takes part in all our events. We also have close links with other Embassy staff, including the Deputy Ambassador, which often proves helpful if we have to reach out to new sponsors or supporters with whom the Embassy has already established links.
Do you still raise money for charity?
Absolutely, all of the proceeds raised at the Budapest Burns Suppers are used to fund the purchase of vital medical equipment for use in children’s hospitals across the country, and to support important social projects.
The funds raised in 2024 totalled 50,000 EUR, and that is at least our target for 2025.
And lastly, what are the main differences between a Burns Night in Budapest and one in Scotland?
The Burns Suppers held in Scotland tend to be more traditional affairs. There is generaly a fairly set programme, with the “Address to the Haggis”, the “Immortal Memory” that is a tribute to the life and work of Robert Burns, the more humorous “Toast to the Lassies” and the “Reply from the Lassies”, all interspersed with various poems from the Bard.
In Budapest we have to take into account that not everyone at the Supper has English as their native tongue, so we need to be mindful of making it as accessible and enjoyable as possible for all our guests. This means we often substitute poetry for song, speeches for dance, etc., all while bringing across the breadth and depth of Scottish culture to the many Hungarians and international guests that we welcome every year.
You can see some images of previous Burns Nights in Budapest here
