Out of fear of desertions or random ceasefires, the Union Army tried to suppress the singing of Auld Lang Syne during the American Civil war, because its sentiments of returning home and reconciliation were so powerful.
After the signing of the surrender terms, General Grant finally relented and ordered the band to play it, recognizing the country and the soldiers had been through tremendous upheaval and that now was a time for healing. (Williams ,2020)
The fears were not unfounded, as the songs power has been noted in many wars, but particularly in during the Christmas Truce in World War I.
And during WWII Gen Patton said: “All good things must come to an end. . . .” Erect and sad, he handed his beloved Third Army flag to his successor the band played Auld Lang Syne. Some 400 soldiers and WACs, also erect and sad, watched him march stiffly away. ( Time,1945)
It would not be forgotten.
In the American cemetery above Omaha Beach, veterans paid their respects, some for the first time at the graves of Easy Company’s casualties.
They laid down bouquets and then stood for a moment of silence.
A choir sang like angels, the first two songs in French that had been sung in 1945, one that translates as ‘God, Protect My Country’ and one to the tune of ‘Auld Lang Syne.’
They ended with a song in English that Easy had not heard more than a half-century earlier, but its haunting sound rang loud and clear through every heart in the church and left few eyes dry. It was an American spiritual. (Anderson,2019)
Because the truth is, even in, or especially in, the icy bite of war we’re never far from where we were, just as in life.
Sometimes people change, and who you are at the beginning is not who you are at the end.
Sometimes lives diverge along different paths.
Sometimes, people see that distance start to form, and let it grow, knowing it’s for the best.
But for the most part though some friendships end, more often they ebb and flow, even those that last a lifetime- not without some heartache along the way.
“Auld Lang Syne ” is a celebration of those friendships that endure and that will continue to endure”, said Ken Simpson, director of the Center for Scottish Cultural Studies at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.
“While it recognizes the sadness of aging, it also sees the pleasures of youth and the joy at recollecting them. This dual perspective on the nature of time is why the song has long been such a good fit on New Year’s Eve”, Simpson said.
Origins
Just like then, as the clock strikes midnight and one year turns to the next, the Scottish song “Auld Lang Syne” will heard around the world.
But due to its many versions, it’s often said to be a song no one knows- even in Scotland.
Also, though wildly famous, no one knows who originally wrote it.
However, we do know it became more popular upon Robert Burns’s submission of the manuscript for “Auld Lang Sine” in 1788 to the Scottish Musical Museum, citing the ancient Scottish oral tradition as his muse.
Even when they were first published, Burns’ poems required glossaries and footnotes.
He deliberately used an especially archaic slang in order to evoke the “old days”.
Which is why first verse asks, rhetorically, `Should we forget old times? Should we forget old times’?’
He liked to hope repeating himself would help people understand him better. (Zorn,1994)
Once you get past the dialect, ‘Auld Lang Syne‘ becomes a perfect, bittersweet song for this bittersweet passage.
Singing the song on Hogmanay or New Year’s Eve very quickly became a Scots custom that soon spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond.
The Song’s Spread
North American Tradition
As Scots immigrated around the world, they took the song with them.
Eventually, Burns’ poem was translated in North America to the common lyrics we know today, made famous by a Canadian named Guy Lombardo.
Long before Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest helped millions of Americans ring in the New Year, there was Guy Lombardo.
In 1928, Lombardo and his band, the Royal Canadians, played their first New Year’s Eve broadcast.
But it was in 1929 when Guy Lombardo and his band, The Royal Canadians took the stage at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City on New Year’s Eve.
As their performance was being broadcast on the radio, before midnight Eastern-time on CBS, after midnight he would switch to NBC.
He performed the song as a segue between one broadcast and station switch.
At midnight, the song they chose to play was Auld Lang Syne an old Scottish folk song Lombardo first heard from Scottish immigrants in Ontario.
Previous to this, there are several documented instances of others singing it on New Year’s Eve, going all the way back to the mid-nineteenth century, but it wasn’t anywhere close to the staple it would soon become after Lombardo’s performance.
His show was so popular it helped to bring the tune to a global audience, which he played until 1976. (CanadianEncylopedia, 2014)
It’s his version that plays after the ball drops in Times Square every year.
Now, people who have never been anywhere near Scotland sing the Scottish ballad at New Year’s Eve.
Scots Tradition
Unlike the rest of the UK, Scotland has three days of New Year’s celebrations called Hogmanay, beginning at the end of December and ending on January 2nd.
Auld Lang Syne is sung after “The bells”(phrase stemming from church bells) have struck the midnight hour and New Year’s Eve becomes New Year’s Day.
Then dancing the ceilidh (kay-lee) occurs.
Traditionally you only link arms at the final verse, when the lyrics are “And there’s a hand, my trusty friend!”
At this point, as everyone stands in a circle holding hands, they stretch their arms across their bodies so their left- hand is holding the hand of the person on their right, and their right-hand holds that of the person on their left.
When the song ends, everyone rushes to the middle, still holding hands, which causes a great deal of giddiness and laughter, and you’ve started your New Year’s in the Scotts tradition – with lots of fun.
References:
- Justus Altmiller: “Days of Auld Lang Syne”. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2020, from https://www.nps.gov/apco/learn/education/justus-altmiller-days-of-auld-lang-syne.htm
- Staff, H. (2019, December 02). World War II: In the Footsteps of Easy Company During a Band of Brothers Tour. Retrieved December 02, 2020, from https://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-in-the-footsteps-of-easy-company-during-a-band-of-brothers-tour.htm
3.Editorial: How Guy Lombardo Became “Mr. New Year’s Eve” with His Version of “Auld Lang Syne”. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2020, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/auld-lang-syne-the-sweetest-music-this-side-of-heaven-feature
4.Zorn, E. (2018, September 01). DAZED, CONFUSED? IT’S AULD LANG SIGN. Retrieved December 02, 2020, from https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-12-29-9412290098-story.html