Ringing in the New Year….

So what exactly does Auld Lang Syne mean anyway?

Ringing in or celebrating the New Year is a tradition for most people.  Whether you celebrate quietly or live it up in Time Square there’s one thing most people have in common and that’s singing Auld Lang Syne.  We all know the words but do we even know what they mean?

Auld Lang Syne is the most common song for English-speaking people to sing.  Funny how it’s possible to sing and hear a song so many times and have no idea what it means.

Auld Lang Syne is an extremely old Scottish poem that was first written in the 1700s.  Robert Burns, a celebrated poet of his time is the person whose transcription received the most attention, so the song is most often associated with him.  Others attempted to transcribe the verse but after Burns’ death, nothing matched the original.  Most sing Auld Lang Syne in the traditional Scottish folk tune round.

A good translation of the words “Auld Lang Syne” is “times gone by.” So when we sing this song, we are saying, “We’ll drink a cup of kindness yet for times gone by.”  Traditionally we sing it to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight and usher in the new.

So next time you find yourself belting out that old familiar song remember the times gone by…

From the American Receivable Corporation Family, we wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2016.

 By Jack Stieber –  President – American Receivable

image courtesy of iosphere at www.freedigitalphotos.net