‘Auld Lang Syne’ And A Warm Welcome To 2023
‘AULD LANG SYNE’ AND A WARM WELCOME TO 2023
With the worst of the pandemic seemingly behind us, this year’s New Year celebrations were likely to have had a welcome and more traditional feel about them. Many of us will have planned to enjoy parties and join in the traditional singing of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. A good time perhaps, to remind ourselves about its surprisingly interesting history and influence around the world.
The story starts in Scotland with the poet Robert Burns (right) . He is credited with
adapting and partially rewriting an old Scots -language poem or folk song in 1788. That year Burns sent a copy of the original song to the Scots Musical Museum with the remark, ‘The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man.’ In 1799, it was set to a traditional tune, which is basically the one we are familiar with today.
One interesting story about Auld Lang Syne involves Queen Elizabeth II. At Hogmanay in Scotland, it is common practice that everyone joins hands with the person next to them to form a great circle around the dance floor. At the beginning of the last verse (And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere!/and gie’s a hand o’ thine!), everyone crosses their arms across their breast, so that the right hand reaches out to the neighbour on the left and vice versa. Outside Scotland the hands are often crossed from the beginning of the song, at variance with Scottish custom. The Scottish practice was demonstrated by Queen Elizabeth II at the Millennium Dome celebrations for the year 2000. Some press outlets berated her for not ‘properly’ crossing her arms, unaware that she was correctly following the Scottish tradition.
In Scotland, it is often sung at the end of a cèilidh, a dance, and at weddings. At weddings, it is performed in the same way as at New Year, but the bride and groom are often lifted up in the centre of the circle. The tune is also played, and sung by the crowd, in the final stages of the annual Edinburgh Military Tattoo. In Great Britain, it is sung at the end of the Last Night of the Proms and played at the close of the annual Congress (conference) of the Trades Union Congress. The song is also played at the Passing Out Parade of Young Officers in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as well as at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, for young officers joining the British Army. It also has a similar role in countries who are members or former members of the Commonwealth of Nations including Canada, India, Pakistan, Singapore and Bangladesh.
In fact it is also widely known and popularly sung in many countries, especially English speaking ones. The song is widely used by the international Scout Movement, at the closing of jamborees and other occasions. In the Netherlands, the melody is used as the Dutch football song “Wij houden van Oranje” (“We Love Orange”), performed by André Hazes. In Thailand the lyrics have been adapted as a patriotic song about the King and national unity, although many Thais are not aware of the song’s Western origin. Most surprisingly perhaps, before 1972, Auld Lang Syne was even the tune for the national anthem of the Maldives and using the current words!
On a beautiful, crisp November morning, this year’s excited and well-groomed herd of reindeer waited patiently on the Tuckers’ front lawn in Vennwood Close. Individual personalities shone through unique facial features and with the potential for some mischief, Joyce had her hands full maintaining order!
teens I knew a little about the expedition. I bought the book for the princely sum of 50p. Although the Trans Polar expedition failed it became one of the greatest tales of heroism and survival in the history of Polar exploration. The Endurance became trapped in the ice, was crushed and eventually sank. The tale of how Shackleton managed the rescue of the whole crew without loss is a great read especially the account of the incredible 800-mile voyage across the Southern Ocean in a small boat.
Fast forward to this year, 2022, the centenary of the Shackleton Expedition. There was a massive amount of interest in the press and media which peaked when the wreck of the Endurance was found largely intact on the floor of the Weddell Sea. Much was written about the expedition and especially about the epic 800-mile rescue voyage of the small boat, “The James Caird”. By this time, I knew that John Vincent the original owner of my book, had been one of the five members of Shackleton’s crew on this voyage. I figured that there would never be a better opportunity to find a buyer for the book.