Auld Lang Syne

Auld Lang Syne is old Scots dialect that literally means ‘old long since’ although a more colloquial and acceptable translation would be ‘long, long ago’ or ‘in days gone by’. It was the title of a song written by Robert Burns in 1788 but the expression was in use from at least the early 18th century, long before Burns made it famous. The song today is probably not the same tune as the original Burns version, but it is still traditionally sung in Britain and other parts of the English-speaking world at midnight on New Year’s Eve to welcome in the New Year.