SCOTLAND—Across the globe, at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, millions of people either heard, or sang a centuries-old tune, ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ but few will have known what it means, or where it comes from. The tradition dates back to the time just following the American Revolution, but across the sea, in the rolling hills, and lochs of Scotland.

In 1799, famous wordsmith, and Scottish Poet, Robert Burns revealed to the public a poem using some phrases from an earlier poem composed in 1711, and said that it was, “an old song, of the olden times.” It wasn’t long after, that the tune was heard as part of celebrations of the Scottish New Year, Hogmanay. Still, that doesn’t explain the phrase, nor, the lyrics themselves completely.

Although Robert Burns spoke English, he wrote poems and songs in a dialect called “Scots language.” While it may seem at the outset that Scots is simply English written in a Scottish accent, the grammar and rules of the language are much more complicated than that. Native English speakers familiar with a Scottish accent may be able to pick out a few words or phrases while reading Scots, but others may go well above their heads.

Such as Auld Lang Syne. The literal translation from Scots to English changes Auld Lang Syne to “old long since,” but a more interpretive title would be “For the sake of old times.” In this way, modern singers of the song may finally understand that the ballad sung at the beginning of the New Year is one of nostalgia and remembrance. 

It’s surely no coincidence, therefore, that one of the more popular national holidays in Scotland remains the Robert Burns Supper, held just a few short weeks following the New Year on or around the Poet’s birthday. Traditional Scottish fare is served at these suppers held all over the world, which include readings of Burns’ poetry, playing of bagpipes, traditional highland dress, and more to celebrate Scottish Heritage. 

So this year, as readers “take a cup of kindness yet,” they will know a bit more about the Auld Lang Syne that Robert Burns intended.