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Thousands gather for Burns event Scots celebrate bard's birthday
(about 3 hours later)
A celebration to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scots poet Robert Burns is attracting thousands of people to Dumfries. Thousands of people have taken part in events to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland's national bard.
Lantern processions will weave their way through the town before converging on the banks of the River Nith for the burning of an effigy of Tam o'Shanter. The celebrations were led by First Minister Alex Salmond.
First Minister Alex Salmond will speak at the event. It also marked the launch of a year-long programme of events which the Scottish Government hopes will raise the country's profile.
The 250th anniversary coincides with the start of the Homecoming Scotland celebrations. A procession took place in Dumfries and there were further events which took place in Alloway, Burns' birthplace.
It marks the start of the year-long programme of events which aims to attract people of Scottish descent and tourists to Scotland to celebrate the country's culture and heritage. Sunday's events began with Mr Salmond attending a church service in Alloway, while Culture Minister Linda Fabiani and the Duke of Buccleuch took part in another commemorative event in Dumfries.
Up to 10,000 people are expected in Dumfries - where the poet died in 1796 - for the procession, which will feature children from 42 schools. Mr Salmond later attended a wreath-laying ceremony at a statue of Burns in Ayr and then went on to the Dumfries lantern procession attended by thousands.
A sculpture of Tam o'Shanter was the centrepiece of celebrations in AllowayVarious events celebrating Burns have been taking place across the country this weekend. The 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns has been celebrated on a global scale and as it should be - with dancing, singing, laughter and of course the odd dram Alex SalmondFirst Minister The first minister quoted from the poem on BBC Scotland's The Politics Show - a quotation which ended with the phrase "the man of independent mind looks and laughs at all that".
Locations in Ayrshire which are associated with the bard, such the cottage in Alloway where he was born in 1759, the Auld Kirk and the Brig O'Doon - which featured in his famous poem Tam o'Shanter - have been brought to life with recitals and performances. A number of events and exhibitions took place at various locations in Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
A sculpture by Graeme Gilmour of o'Shanter on his horse Meg was placed on the Brig O'Doon. The day also marked the start of the "Homecoming 2009" celebrations which will see more than 300 events being held across the Scotland until St Andrew's Day at the end of November.
The story of Burns is also being projected onto Glasgow's City Chambers in a 15-minute light and sound show, which will end on Sunday night. The Scottish Government is asking "affinity" Scots around the world to return home and join the celebrations with 100,000 tourists expected and a £40m boost to the economy.
The celebrations have also been extending beyond Scotland's shores, with more than 3,000 Burns suppers across the world linking up for the first time. 'Flying start'
Mr Salmond said: "Homecoming Scotland could not have got off to a better start with tens of thousands of people taking part in sell out events across Scotland, and around the globe.
"The 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns has been celebrated on a global scale and as it should be - with dancing, singing, laughter and of course the odd dram.
"I have no doubt that if he were here today, Robert Burns would make every effort to attend every single one of the 300 events we have planned across Scotland this year.
"And he would be delighted to see his year of birthday celebrations off to such a flying start."
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