“Auld Lang Syne,” written by Robert Burns, is traditionally sung at midnight during Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebration.
The song’s Scots title refers to old times or old friendships. Its lyrics ask whether familiar people and memories should be forgotten, making it especially suitable for a moment that looks backward at the ending year while welcoming the next one.
At Hogmanay, people commonly join hands in a circle while singing the song. The practice is strongly associated with Scotland, but the song spread internationally and is now used for New Year’s Eve celebrations, farewells, and other symbolic endings around the world.
The melody is based on a traditional Scottish tune, while Burns’s familiar text was recorded in the eighteenth century. “Scotland the Brave” and “Flower of Scotland” are also strongly associated with Scottish identity, but neither is the standard midnight Hogmanay song.