Zach Wendling of In the Agora does a nice summary of what happens on the birthday of Rabbie Burns.

I shamelessly quote en toto:

Today is the Birthday of Scotland’s Greatest Poet, Robert Burns (1759 – 1796). So prodigious and influential was the work of this Son of Scotland, that he has come to be known as one of their Great National Heroes, and generations of Scots have been honoring him on his birthday.

Every year on Januray 25th, Scots all around the world gather for Burns Suppers, celebrations of the life and works of Robert Burns and, ultimately, of Scotland herself. The first known supper was held in 1801, but Burns’ friends almost certainly held them prior to that. Typical dishes include Cock-A-Lee Soup, Neeps, Stoved Tatties, Midlothian Oatcakes, and, of course, Haggis. The Haggis is preceeded by a piper, and before it is cut, a speaker must recite An Address to a Haggis

Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o’ the puddin-race!
Aboon them a’ ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o’ a grace
As lang’s my arm.
The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o’ need,
While thro’ your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

The evening ends with Burns’ most popularly-known work, Auld Lang Syne.