Tonight is the night when people around the world celebrate the birth of Scotland's famous Bard, Robert Burns. 

Here’s our serving of 10 facts about the occasion, haggis and Rabbie Burns himself that you may not know. 

1. Robert Burns was born January 25 1759 in the village of Alloway, near Ayr and died on July 21 1796 at the age of 37.

2. Burns’ home village of Alloway is now a suburb of Ayr, where his cottage still stands to this day.

The Herald:

3. Burns Cottage, originally built in 1757 by his William Burness was restored in 2010 and serves as part of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

4. The first Burns Supper was held in July of 1802, when nine of Burn’s close friends got together to mark the fifth anniversary of his passing. It was hosted in his cottage in Alloway.

They honoured their friend by hosting a meal of haggis and performing his works. They decided due to the success of the supper to hold it again, this time on his birthday – beginning a tradition we still carry on to this day.

5. This Burns Night marks the 215th annual supper, and the 214th on his birthday, held in honour of the Bard.

6. Over in the USA, authentic Scottish haggis was banned in 1971 by the US Department of Agriculture due to containing sheep’s lung.

The importing of lungs is banned in the US due to the risk of contracting tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases from contaminated meat.

7. If you are not a fan of eating Haggis, then you’ll be placed to know that Haggis hurling is the sport of throwing Haggis as fast as you can.

Last Year Bearsden and Milngavie Highland Games hosted the World Haggis Hurling Championships, on June 11.

8. With the animal lung ban still in place to this day, Americans made haggis is prepared the same way as authentic Scottish haggis, just without the sheep’s lung.

The Herald:

9. The title to John Steinbeck’s 1937’s classic novel Of Mice and Men is taken from one of Burns’ poems, To a Mouse.

The title comes from the lines: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley," which is befitting the plot of the novel.

10. Burns’ most famous song Auld Lang Syne, a key feature of a supper and sung around the world every New Year's, is reported to be hugely popular in China where it is known as 'You Yi Di Jiu Tian Chang' which translates as 'Friendship Forever and Ever'.