Edmund, who was the last Saxon king of East Anglia, was killed by the marauding Danes in 870. They offered to spare him and let him rule as their vassal on the condition that he outlawed the practise of Christianity; he refused and so became a martyr. His bones were returned to the local monastery in 903 and a shrine to St. Edmund was established.
2009 marks the 250th anniversary of Scottish poet Robert Burns' birth. Burns was a poet and a lyricist and is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland.
The Burns Supper was started a few years after his death by a group of his friends; they held the supper to honour and remember Burns. The tradition caught on and the ritual of Burns Supper is now held all around the world.
His life and work will be celebrated throughout the year at many Burns-related events.
