What is the title of the traditional song sung at midnight on New Year's Eve?

The traditional song sung at midnight on New Year's Eve is “Auld Lang Syne.”

The song is a Scottish setting of a poem by Robert Burns, who wrote down and sent his version to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788. Burns based much of the text on an older Scottish folk song. The title is Scots for “old long since,” commonly understood as “for old times’ sake” or “days gone by.”

Its familiar melody was established in print in 1799, although it may not have been the tune Burns originally intended. The song became closely associated with Hogmanay, Scotland’s New Year celebration, before spreading through the British Isles and then around the world through migration and popular culture.

A common mix-up is assuming the song is exclusively a New Year anthem. It is also performed at farewells, graduations, funerals, scouting events and other occasions marking an ending or transition. In the Scottish midnight tradition, singers often form a circle and cross their arms while holding hands during the final verse.