Auld Lang Syne, set to the tune of a traditional folk song, is a Scottish-language poem written by Robert Burns in 1788. It is traditionally sung in the English-speaking world and other parts to say goodbye to the old year on New Year's Eve (at midnight on 31 December). It is also sung as a farewell on other occasions such as funerals and graduations.
We may loosely translate the poems's Scottish title into English as "old times", and for auld lang syne as "for the sake of old times".
