The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays. The Babylonians celebrated about 4,000 years ago, though they had no written calendar.
They set the new year on about March 23, the time of year that spring begins. The Romans celebrated the new year at about the same time until Julius Caesar chose January 1 in 46 BC.
In English-speaking countries, the song "Auld Lang Syne" has been sung at the stroke of midnight for hundreds of years. Written by Robert Burns, it was first published in 1796, but it has been described as the song nobody knows.
If you are musically inclined, you could surprise your friends by singing the last verses after they finish with the first two. There are two verses in between, but they have too many old English words. Here it is then:
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
And here's a hand, my trusty friend, and gies a hand o' thine;
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
After this, repeat the first two verses. In case you wondered, auld lang syne, loosely translated, means "old long ago" or "the good old days."
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
