Auld Lang Syne

I heard a TV news show personality say "Why do we sing Auld Lang Syne at New Years? It's such a sad song." This caught my ear and got stuck in my head because it was only the first week of December. Why was this news person thinking about New Year's Eve? I was only starting to decorate for Christmas! Since I couldn't stop thinking about it, I wondered what his statement meant.

I have never thought of the song as "sad." Even as a child, when I could make myself stay awake, I remember watching the "ball drop" in Times Square, watching the people celebrating and hearing them sing the song Auld Lang Syne. They did not seem sad. Another reason I never thought the song was sad is because of the movie "It's A Wonderful Life." The very last scene is George holding Zuzu and a book with his wife Mary standing just behind him, and a bell rings on the Christmas tree. Zuzu says her teacher says, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings." (This line is why I love teaching young children and love bells.) The crowd joins George's little brother singing Auld Lang Syne. To me, this is the happiest ending in any movie ever! Also, I have never been sad about starting new year with all the possibilities and adventures to come.

To find out what the news person might have meant, I "googled" the song and its meaning. It is an old Scottish poem written down by Robert Burns in 1788 and based on an even older Scottish song. It was set to music in 1789 (“Auld Lang Syne,” 2024. in Wikipedia). The title loosely means "old long since" or "for the sake of old times." The song has been sung for hundreds of years to celebrate Hogmanay, the last day of the year. The song became popular in the United States in 1929 when Guy Lombardo played it on a New Year's Eve radio broadcast in New York City because his band always played it at the end of their performances in Ontario. According to several articles I've read, the song is asking how we can remember old friends, memories and experiences from the year we are leaving and bringing them into the new year, and the answer is sharing kindness. Maybe the news person had sad memories such as losing a loved one, and moving on without that person is what is making him sad. Maybe the song reminds him of his sadness. I know he is not alone in this situation. If we can all remember to "share a cup of kindness," we can all help each other have a happier new year.

--Tina