Auld Lang Syne traditionally follows the midnight countdown at New Year's Eve celebrations in many English-speaking countries.
The song uses a Scots phrase meaning “old long since,” or roughly “days gone by.” Its lyrics reflect remembrance, friendship and shared time, which made it well suited to a moment of farewell and renewal at the turn of the year.
The melody and text became widely known beyond Scotland during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Groups commonly sing it while linking arms or holding hands, although performance customs vary by country and by venue.
Auld Lang Syne is not an official global New Year's anthem, and many cultures use different songs or rituals. It is also often sung imperfectly because the Scots vocabulary is unfamiliar to many listeners. The title is sometimes spelled or pronounced in several ways, but the standard English-language title remains Auld Lang Syne.