Happy New Year!

“Auld Lang Syne” means “old long since”, “long long ago”, “days gone by”, or “old times”.

Written by Robert Burns in 1788, it is a Scots poem set to folk music and traditionally sung at the conclusion of New Year gatherings in Scotland and around the world.

Let us contemplate the “old times” together with a hauntingly beautiful version of Auld Lang Syne and a collection of historical paintings and drawings.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Robert Burns

John Masey Wright and John Rogers' c. 1841 illustration of Auld Lang Syne.
John Masey Wright and John Rogers’ c. 1841 illustration of Auld Lang Syne.
The Auld Farmer's New Year's Gift to His Auld Mare Maggie by Richard Ansdell - 1851.
The Auld Farmer’s New Year’s Gift to His Auld Mare Maggie by Richard Ansdell – 1851.
New Year's Eve at Grandfather's by Friedrich Ortlieb - 1873
New Year’s Eve at Grandfather’s by Friedrich Ortlieb – 1873
Auld Lang Syne by Sir John Watson Gordon, 1851
Auld Lang Syne by Sir John Watson Gordon, 1851
New Year's Eve at the Savoy Restaurant in the Savoy Hotel. Scene from The Illustrated London News, 1907.
New Year’s Eve at the Savoy Restaurant in the Savoy Hotel. Scene from The Illustrated London News, 1907.
New Year's Day in New Amsterdam by George Henry Boughton - 1870
New Year’s Day in New Amsterdam by George Henry Boughton – 1870
Toasting the New Year in Germany, 1885
Toasting the New Year in Germany, 1885
Waiting for Calls on New-Year's Day by Winslow Homer, 1869.
Waiting for Calls on New-Year’s Day by Winslow Homer, 1869.
The New Year's Day Parade by Cornelius Krieghoff - 1871
The New Year’s Day Parade by Cornelius Krieghoff – 1871
New Year's Morning by Henry Mosler, 1888
New Year’s Morning by Henry Mosler, 1888
A New Year's Nocturne, New York by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1892
A New Year’s Nocturne, New York by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1892
Old and New Year. Cover of the Calendar for 1905 by Konstantin Somov - 1904
Old and New Year. Cover of the Calendar for 1905 by Konstantin Somov – 1904

A New Year. A fresh start. New Beginnings.

Make history this new year.

Happy New Year!