Overview
- Michael Pedersen tells CNN the song’s force lies in how it gathers strangers into a circle, creating a physical expression of friendship at the year’s turn.
- The phrase “auld lang syne” loosely means “old, long since,” commonly understood as “for old times’ sake,” underscoring a theme of reunion rather than farewell.
- Robert Burns wrote down a version in the 18th century from older folk sources, with scholars still debating his level of adaptation before George Thomson later altered the tune.
- Traditional performance includes holding hands through the verses, then crossing arms on the fifth verse while staying linked and moving the circle.
- The song’s New Year role spread from Scottish Hogmanay customs to global use, with U.S. popularity boosted by Guy Lombardo’s 1929 New Year broadcast from New York, and Pedersen now adds a contemporary response with his poem “Boys Holding Hands.”