Clock chimes mark midnight. Fireworks boom. And people shout, “Happy New Year!” You may also hear another sound on December 31. It’s voices singing:
“Should old
be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?”
Those are the to “Auld Lang Syne.” The song is a New Year’s classic!
One reason is that the lyrics fit the holiday. The song was written in the Scots language of Scotland. “Auld Lang Syne” to “Old Long Since.” But the meaning is “for old times’ sake.” The new year is a great time to look back at old times!
The lyrics also ask telling questions about our memories. The words could serve as a reminder not to forget our friends.
“Auld Lang Syne” is very old. People sang it hundreds of years ago. Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote down the words. He did that in 1788.
The song spread. It reached Japan. It played at school graduations there. The song also went to the United States. In 1877, Alexander Graham Bell played the tune to show off his invention — the telephone!
Guy Lombardo was a bandleader. He helped make the song a New Year’s hit in North America. His band played it on TV and radio. This happened every year from 1929 to 1977.
Today, millions of people sing the song for the New Year. The tradition is big in Scotland. New Year’s Eve is called Hogmanay there. For the song, people form a big circle. They sing it to the last verse. It says, “And there’s a hand, my trusty friend.”
On that line, Scottish cross their arms over their chests. They hold hands. Then, they all rush forward into the circle.
This is surely a tradition you wouldn’t want to “be forgot.”
Updated December 30, 2022, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Ashley Morgan
