Tbilisi to Toast Revered Scottish Poet for 8th (but not final!) Time

One of the standout events on Tbilisi’s social calendar will soon be upon us as preparations are nearly complete for the 8th Tbilisi Gala Benefit Burns Supper and Ball, to be held at the Funicular Restaurant on February 4.

Three charitable causes – Temi Community (caring for a wide range of vulnerable people), Catharsis (helping the homeless elderly by providing hot meals) and Dog Organization Georgia (providing shelter for stray animals along with sterilization, vaccination and adoption programs) - will benefit from an event which last year raised 54,000 GEL.

While Burns Suppers have been held all across the world for decades, the Tbilisi version is relatively young and its establishment in Georgia has been entirely down to the devoted and warm-hearted British expat Fiona Coxshall.

Fiona, who is set to depart Georgia this year, reflected on the beginnings and continued success of the Burns Supper in Tbilisi: “When I came here there was no Burns Supper. I love Scottish dancing and know others do, too, so I knew it would be a success.”

She added: “It’s something different which has built up a reputation for good fun with lots of dancing.”

Indeed, a night of good food, plentiful drink, and dizzy dancing awaits around 240 guests to celebrate the life and works of Scotland’s most celebrated poet, and perhaps its most celebrated son, Robert Burns, whose poems and songs written in the 18th century continue to entertain and inspire today.

The evening will also be punctuated by a number of traditional toasts, including the Address to a Haggis, a tribute to the Scottish delicacy of spiced sheep innards which Burns hailed as the “chieftain o’ the pudding race”.

There will be some inter-gender bantering as well with the Address to the Lassies (women/girls) countered swiftly by the Address to the Laddies (men/boys), while the Immortal Memory, seen as the signature speech of any Burns Night, will be delivered this year by UNDP’s Niels Scott.

The Burns Supper changed location in 2015 to the Funicular and organizer Fiona has been highly impressed with Tbilisi’s revived landmark venue atop Mtatsminda.

She reserved praise for head chef Jorge Da Silva, who she described as “more than just a chef; he offers a personal service and takes immense pride in his work and workplace.”

Once a delicious four-course meal, including the aforementioned haggis, has been washed down by wine, whisky, or both, guests are lured to the dance floor by Nicol McLaren and the Glencraig Band (Isobelle Hodgson on keyboard, Maggie Adamson on fiddle) for some Scottish country dancing.

Breaking from the reeling and whirling, an auction and grand prize raffle will be staged, while the night (which often runs into the morning) concludes with a disco.

By that point, Fiona, who picks out the song “Lassie wi’ the Lint-white Locks” as her favourite work of Burns, will be reflecting on an eighth Burns Supper impeccably done. And while it might be the last she organizes in Georgia, Fiona is adamant that the event can continue to flourish even in her absence.

She said: “This year I have had the help of a small committee, and I hope they and others can carry it on. As I leave Georgia, I think people will remember me for the dog shelter and the Burns Supper. And I dearly hope that this is a tradition which is maintained for years to come.”

Alastair Watt