Auld Lang Sign?

Question

Should the Auld Lang Sign be sung every single time the second after new year? Is this just an American Tradition or do the Canadians do this as well?

But most importantly. Why do we sing this song on New Years? What is the significance of it?

Answer 1

Robert Burns forwarded 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's singing, is enough to recommend any air.” At the time it was very fashionable to claim that one's own work was "traditional" and one should probably take Burns' statement with a pinch of salt, and even if some lines of the lyrics were indeed "collected" rather than composed by the poet, it is a fair supposition to attribute the poem as a whole to Burns himself.

There is some doubt if the tune used today is the same one Burns originally intended, but the melody itself is traditional in the purest sense of the word.

Singing the song on Hogmanay or New Year's Day very quickly became a Scots custom, which soon spread to other parts of the British Isles. As Scots (not to mention other Britons) emigrated around the world, they took the song with them.

Bandleader Guy Lombardo is often credited with popularizing the use of the song at New Year’s celebrations in America, through his annual broadcasts on radio and TV, beginning in 1929. However, he neither invented nor introduced the custom, even there. The ProQuest newspaper archive has articles going back to 1896 that describe revellers on both sides of the Atlantic singing the song to usher in the New Year. Two examples:

HOLIDAY PARTIES AT LENOX [Mass.]… The company joined hands in the great music room at midnight and sang “Auld Lang Syne” as the last stroke of 12 sounded and the new year came in. — The New York Times, 1896-01-05, p. 10.
NEW YEAR'S EVE IN LONDON. Usual Customs Observed by People of All Classes… The passing of the old year was celebrated in London much as usual. The Scotch residents gathered outside of St. Paul's Church and sang “Auld Lang Syne” as the last stroke of 12 sounded from the great bell. — Washington Post, 1910-01-02, p. 12.

Answer 2

There's an explanation at this site:
http://www.pauldenton.co.uk/Newyearsday.htm


I couldn't get the info to copy/paste.