On Saturday 19th February around 100 members of the Scots-Ukrainian community, and guests from around Scotland, will be celebrating a unique Robert Burns/Taras Shevchenko (Ukraine’s National Poet) evening in the Ukrainian Community Centre in Royal Terrace, Edinburgh. The evening will consist of a Scottish/Ukrainian dinner, with speeches, poems and song, with music on the bagpipes and Ukrainian Bandura.
This ‘unique’ Burns/Shevchenko dinner will consist of Borscht soup, haggis, neeps and tatties and a traditional Ukrainian dish of Pyrohy
Speeches and poems will be in Ukrainian, Scots and English, with some Robert Burns in Ukrainian and Taras Shevchenko in English.
Guest speakers will be David Baird, Vice-president of the World Burns Federation, who will read the ‘immortal memory, Jim Haining, former President of the Burns Howf Club in Dumfries, will give his usual entertaining ‘Toast to the Lassies’ and Petro Kormylo (co-author of worlds first and recently published Burns book in Ukrainian ) will be reciting some Burns and Shevchenko in Ukrainian.
A combination of Ukrainian and Scottish National dress will be the order of the evening
This year’s celebration is the fourth year of the annual Burns/Shevchenko dinner.
The evening will end with the singing of Scots Wha Hae and the Ukrainian National Anthem, Shche Ne Vmerla.
Edinburgh Councillor. Stefan Tymkewycz, said:-“This unique Burns/Shevchenko evening is a fantastic celebration of Ukraine’s national poet Taras Shevchenko and Scotland’s Bard Robert Burns. It combines Ukrainian and Scottish culture in an evening of song, poetry, music and food. There may even be a few whiskies and some vodka sipped throughout the night to help the proceedings and the singing along.”
