From the Scots to an American tradition
When singing Auld Lang Syne, you’ll likely be taken to the New Year’s holiday when you say goodbye to some of the old things in your life in hope for better and more prosperous new things. The origin of the song is unknown, but back in 1788 the poem was sent to the Museum of Music in Scotland by a man named Robert Burns who claimed that he was the first to record it on paper. He wrote that he had taken it down from an old man whose name is unknown. The words in Auld Lang Syne mean “for old time sake”. Its meaning was to hold onto old friendships, to reminisce over them and also to look forward to new ones. In 1929, Guy Lombardo played the song in New York City at the Roosevelt Hotel shortly after midnight. It was broadcast over the airways on radios and televisions and that gave birth to the New Year’s tradition of singing Auld Lang Syne at midnight during New Year’s celebrations. The music has changed through the years as it was first sung as a Scottish folk tale with the sound of Scottish folk music. Now Auld Lang Syne is recognized around the world. It has been used in music scores for movies, played for celebrations and funerals, and it is even been heard at store closing times all over Japan. No one knows the reasoning as to why this song has been designated as the anthem for the New Year, but it is now a classic and long-time favorite song for kids and families.
The rhyme history of many children’s songs
Rhyming goes back centuries. It was used in folk songs, myths and legends of long ago. Many songs and tunes with no words were set to rhythm as a way of teaching children by way of nursery rhymes. The rhyme history can be traced back to the early 1700’s. Children learned words that were in the form of a nursery rhyme. It was the rhythm that intrigued them. In schools and daycare facilities, children are taught nursery rhymes for their educational benefits. The song Auld Lang Syne is one in which a child is taught to improve clapping, keeping time and to enhance motor skills. The words can be somewhat confusing to young children because they are not commonly familiar words as many of the other age appropriate nursery rhymes. But Auld Lang Syne is still a favorite for both children and their parents around the world!