Homecoming Scotland 2009

One of Scotland's Existing International Gatherings: the Edinburgh Tattoo

In 2009, Scotland is throwing a party, and you are all invited! Timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the birth of the man whose birthday is the second most celebrated worldwide, Robert Burns, Homecoming Scotland will run between Burns Night (25 January) and St Andrew's Day (30 November) 2009.

This ten-month long celebration of Scottishness will offer a programme of events and activities throughout the country: and its stated aim is "to inspire pride in Scots at home and abroad and provide a range of compelling reasons to encourage our extended family to come home".

Who is invited? Everyone who feels any affinity to Scotland is invited, whether by ancestry or simply because they have grown to love this country. This especially includes the (at least) 25 million people worldwide who consider themselves to be of Scots descent, a figure that means that around five times as many Scots live outwith Scotland than live within its borders. But no-one is excluded. Many other people, especially from Continental Europe, find Scotland an enthralling place and keep coming back. If you are one of them, Homecoming Scotland will give you the opportunity to meet more Scots than ever before: and help them party like never before!

Homecoming Scotland will have five main themes, each of which signifies one of the ways in which Scotland has made its mark on the wider world in recent centuries. As already noted, 25 January 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns, and one of the themes will focus on his life and works. Scottish Ancestry provides the second main theme: Scots have had a significant impact on the world simply by travelling to just about every part of it, settling down, and having families. The third and fourth themes reflect what are often referred to as Scotland's two great gifts to the world (other than its genes!): golf and whisky. And the last theme celebrates the role of Scots, at home and abroad, in advancing science and engineering over the entire period since the Scottish Enlightenment.

The official website of Homecoming Scotland gives more background about this Scottish Government initiative, and as 25 January 2009 approaches will set out in much more detail the various programmes of events associated with it. In the meantime, though, make sure you've got a space in you diary for the party to end all parties!