Caledonia Heritage

Homecoming 2009 has been officially kicked off by First Minister, Alex Salmond, this weekend and thousands are expected to take part in Burns Suppers all around the world. Images from Burns’s poems have been projected on to the City Chambers of Glasgow to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Rabbie Burns. The First Minister attended a special Burns Supper in Alloway last night, as well as a series of recitals and performances at the various locations associated with Burns. Today, over 10,000 people are expected to attend the Burns Light, a lantern procession, through Dumfries, featuring children from 42 schools.

Want to know more about Burns Suppers? Head over to the Burns Interactive site and meet Rabbie himself.

Over 300 events have been planned over the coming months and more than 100,000 visitors are expected to attend.

The Who Do You Think You Are Live! event takes place from 27 February to 1 March at the Olympia, London and is the biggest gathering of family history resources in the UK. There will be a number of workshops and exhibitions dedicated to different aspects of genealogy as well as a series of theatre events where celebrities will tell you stories about their families. So far, confirmed celebrities include, Ainsley Harriott, Lesley Garratt and Matthew Pinsent, all of whom have already featured on the television show.

There is also going to be a special Scottish Saturday to celebrate Homecoming 2009 on 28 February. Exhibitions and workshops will have a Celtic flavour and will be focused on helping you discover your Scottish roots. You can also find out about The Gathering 2009 (25th and 26th July 2009 in Edinburgh) and the first ever Scottish International Genealogy Festival in July 2009 at Strathclyde University which invites overseas family history societies, clan and family associations, and anyone with an interest in Scots at home and abroad to take part.

For more information and to book tickets for WDYTYA Live, please visit their website.

William Burns, the father of Robert Burns, leased a small piece of land in 1757 in Alloway where he built the little cottage that is now famous the world over as Burns Cottage. William married his sweetheart, Agnes, in December of that year and a year later, their first son, Robert, was born on 25 January 1759.

View from front

While the growing family would move to a new home in 1766, Robert Burns spent most of his formative years in the tiny cottage. William Burns was a staunch believer in education and helped pay for a young teacher to come to the village. Robert’s imagination was also fired by stories and songs his mother taught him about Ayrshire folklore.

Back view (the barn area first)

The cottage is of traditional style with accommodation for both family, livestock and storage for produce and feed. The family lived in a single room that functioned as both a kitchen and sleeping area. William and Agnes shared a bed with the youngest children and the older children slept on pull-out cots on the floor.

Original fireplace

Sleeping Area

The image above shows the box bed in which Robert was born and it is much smaller than a modern day single bed. It is hard to imagine two adults would’ve fitted into it, never mind with children. The sleeping area divided the room from the kitchen and family area.

The cottage now forms part of the Heritage Park which also houses a museum containing original manuscripts and some of Burns’s belongings.

The city of Edinburgh is the place to be in Scotland if you are serious about bringing in the New Year in style. Over the years, it has evolved from a Hogmanay street party into a four day winter festival.

The festivities kicked off on 29 December with a torchlit procession of Vikings making their way down the Royal Mile where the ship they were dragging was lit. The procession was led by a group of vikings from Shetland who regularly participate in the Up Helly Aa Viking Festival there.

On 30 December, The Dancin’, a street party, warmed everyone up for the main street party the following night and also heralded the arrival of Homecoming 2009.

Tonight, the big Street Party kicks off at 9 pm and there are stages offering live music, including Glasvegas and the Complete Stone Roses. However, you need a ticket so don’t even bother turning up without one. And, if you are lucky enough to be going, wrap up warm because it is going to be -5 in Edinburgh tonight.

Other events include: the Concert in the Gardens, the Glayva Celidh in the Gardens, the Hoog in the Assembly Rooms, the Candlelit Concert at St Giles and the Boogie Wonderland on the Mound celebrating the Seventies.

On 1 Jan, there’s the Bicycle triathlons and the famous Loony Dook where people jump into the freezing waters of the Firth of Forth for a refreshing dip. I kid you not! Alternatively, stay dry at the Feet First theatre event involving 120 artists in a spectacular display on the High St.

The Winter Wonderland festival is also running until 4 Jan which includes ice skating, snow slides and a host of fun activities for the kids.

On 21 December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded in the air and then crashed down into the small town of Lockerbie. All 259 passengers and crew were killed, as well as 11 people on the ground.

Twenty years on, a series of events will be held in both Scotland and America to remember those who lost their lives on that fateful day. The disaster shocked the world back then and created a bond between the US and Scotland that will never be broken.

There isn’t enough space to record the names of all the dead, but the Scots who died that day were:

Kathleen Flannigan, 41
Thomas Flannigan, 44
Joanne Flannigan, 10
Dora Henry, 56
Maurice Henry, 63
Mary Lancaster, 81
Jean Murray, 82
John Sommerville, 40
Rosaleen ‘Rosalind’ Somerville, 40
Paul Somerville, 13
Lyndsey Ann Sommerville, 10

Those responsible aren’t even worthy of a mention.

The advertising campaign has been launched for Homecoming Scotland 2009 and features a number of familiar Scottish celebrities singing Caledonia which is one of my all time favourite songs for obvious reasons. Visit the link above to see the advert!

Lyrics

I don’t know if you can see
The changes that have come over me
In these last few days I’ve been afraid
That I might drift away
So I’ve been telling old stories, singing songs
That make me think about where I came from
And that’s the reason why I seem
So far away today

Chorus:
Oh, but let me tell you that I love you
That I think about you all the time
Caledonia you’re calling me
And now I’m going home
If I should become a stranger
You know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia’s been everything
I’ve ever had

(Chorus)

Now I have moved and I’ve kept on moving
Proved the points that I needed proving
Lost the friends that I needed losing
Found others on the way
I have kissed the ladies and left them crying
Stolen dreams, yes there’s no denying
I have traveled hard with coattails flying
Somewhere in the wind

(Chorus)

Now I’m sitting here before the fire
The empty room, the forest choir
The flames that could not get any higher
They’ve withered now they’ve gone
But I’m steady thinking my way is clear
And I know what I will do tomorrow
When the hands are shaken and the kisses flow
Then I will disappear

(Chorus)

Caledonia’s been everything I’ve ever had
Caledonia’s been everything I’ve ever had
Caledonia’s been everything I’ve ever had

Happy St Andrews Day! Watch out for future posts on Homecoming Scotland and I may even throw in a competition or two!