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Scots poet Robert Burns sent a copy of the original song to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788 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."
There is some doubt as to whether the melody used today is the same one Burns originally intended, but it is widely used in Scotland and in the rest of the world.
Singing the song on Hogmanay or New Year's Eve very quickly became a Scots custom that soon spread to other parts of the British Isles.
As Scots emigrated around the world, they took the song with them.
The Auld Lang Syne song is traditionally accompanied by people joining hands in friendship as they look forward to the New Year ahead and pledging that whatever changes life may bring that old friends will not be forgotten.
The meaning of 'Auld' is "Old" and the meaning of 'Lang Syne ' is "Long Since". The lyrics "We'll take a cup o' kindness yet" refers to the tradition of raising a glass, or a cup o' kindness meaning with "good will, friendship and kind regard" and in remembrance of "noble deeds".
The custom of drinking a "health" at a special gathering to the prosperity or good health of another dates back into antiquity.
And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
And surely I'll be mine!
And there's a hand, my trusty fiere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
Auld Lang Syne quiz: How much do you know about the traditional Scottish folk song?
Check out 20 stunning images of Scotland's past Hogmanay celebrations by clicking on the gallery below.
Do you stick to your New Year's Resolutions? Find out the Top 10 commonly broken Resolutions here.
Auld Lang Syne is traditionally sung at the end of New Year parties in Scotland and around the world, but how much do you know about the classic Scots song?
MINISTERS have vowed to claw back Guantanamo detainees’ million pound payouts if they are found to have engaged in extremism.
The review could mean suicide bomber Jamal al-Harith’s vast compensation pot could be seized from his estate.
The Manchester-born 50 year-old got close to £1m in 2010 before killing dozens at an Iraqi Army base this week.
But as a row continued to rage over the security disaster, Security Minister Ben Wallace was accused of covering up for Theresa May.
He refused to tell MPs whether the father of five was being watched by MI5, or how he was allowed to join ISIS in Syria in 2014 while the PM was in charge of fighting terror as Home Secretary.
Conservative Philip Davies told Mr Wallace during an emergency statement that taxpayers had been “ripped off”.
Saying that was “a valid point”, Mr Wallace said: “I will go from here and make sure that where we have legally binding agreements that they are correctly monitored.
The security boss also faced demands from other MPs to refer the al-Harith case to Parliament’s powerful Intelligence and Security Committee to probe.
A total of 17 Brits formerly held in the US base in Cuba shared a payout of more than £20m after accusing MI6 of being culpable for the ill-treatment.
The Coalition government was forced to pay out to them to avoid a court fight that would have seen top secret intelligence revealed.
Hitting back at attacks on the payout decision, Mr Wallace added: “Like our constituents, we are outraged and disappointed by the sums of money being paid.
More than 150 wannabe British jihadis have been stopped from travelling to Syria since 2015, the minister also revealed.
And since 2012, there have been more than 4,000 interventions to prevent radicalisation under the Home Office’s Prevent programme.
But Mr Wallace refused to say anything about al-Harith, insisting the government never comments on intelligence cases.
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott accused the government of “hiding behind intelligence”.
Downing Street also refused to say whether Mrs May was ever personally briefed on al-Harith while at the Home Office.
Sister lost everything to be with career criminal — where do I begin helping her?
DEAR DEIDRE: I WANT to help my sister but where do I begin?
Two years ago she was married with two children, a hardworking husband, a nice home and no money worries. I am 30 and her only brother. She is 35.
Sister lost everything to be with career criminal — how can I help her?
Then, through a so-called friend, she met a man who was in prison for burglary. She fell in love with him and, when he was released, she left her husband for him.
She has lost her home, her children and her self-respect. She has become a drug addict, shoplifting to feed her habit.
Her new boyfriend is a career criminal. He is back in prison for 18 months for burglaries he committed after leaving jail.
My sister is homeless, sleeping wherever she can find a bed. She has lost loads of weight and looks gaunt and ill.
I want her to get help but I have no experience of this kind of thing.
DEIDRE SAYS: Some factor attracted her to this damaging relationship and she may be distressingly resistant to efforts to rescue her now. But of course you want to try.
Tell her you love her and stress how important she is to you, because such self-destructive behaviour suggests she values herself very little.
Shelter can help you put her in touch with local practical support.
My e-leaflet on Drug Worries explains where she can get help and you can find understanding.
Are these the seven best pubs in Doncaster town centre?
The quirky interior of Cask Corner.
There's no shortage of watering holes to quench your thirst in Doncaster - but do you agree with our choices for this superb seven?
Or have we got it wrong in our choices of Donny's best boozers? Let us know your thoughts!
If there's a quirkier pub than this Cleveland Street favourite, we'd like to see it! Decorated with coffins, ironing boards a massive dartboard, the range of real ales is immense - both draught and bottled. Live music and comedy and plenty of places to recline - what more do you need?
Another traditional style watering hole, this West Laith Gate pub is famed for its legendary jukebox and homely charm. Needless to say, the beers on offer are pretty top notch and there's always service with a smile too.
A relative newcomer to the town centre drinking scene, tucked away at the end of Silver Street, this pub named after Doncaster's famed loco is another real ale enthusiasts' paradise and again offers an overwhelming array of brews.
Small but perfectly formed - that's this trendy bar, perched on the edge of the Market Place. The food on offer is just as good as the vast collection of beers - although at busier times it can be standing room only.
A traditional pub, just a stone's throw from the Transport Interchange on St Sepulchre Gate West. Again, real ale rules the roost and its a real favourite of the CAMRA fraternity, with ever-changing draught beers on tap.
One of Doncaster's oldest pubs, this is the place to go if you're after some good company in cosy surroundings. Traditionally a meeting point for older clientele, the coaching inn dates back to the 17th century - and is also considered as the birthplace of Doncaster Rovers.
Known as The Little Plough and Doncaster's best kept secret, situated slap bang next to the Tut, traditional once more rules the way. The interior dates from 1934 and its the perfect place to enjoy a quiet pint away from the hustle and bustle of the town centre.
With the nation's longest-ever government shutdown now relegated to history, Congress must focus on actually fixing our broken immigration system.
That does not mean building an ineffectual wall on the United States' southern border, a costly and mostly symbolic measure that lacks broad political support. Six Senate Republicans proved as much last Thursday, when they voted for a Democratic plan to reopen the government that omitted money for the president's wall.
In particular, people brought to the country illegally as children – commonly known as Dreamers – need more than an extra few months of assurance that they won't be deported. The president should also abandon attempts to clamp down further on asylum-seekers, something he floated in the waning days of the partial govern...
Such an approach would not mean abandoning a commitment to border security. House Democrats, for instance, have proposed investing in a "smart wall" that would include drones, sensors and more fencing, but not a solid wall from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific. After reaching a deal with congressional leaders to tempo...
They should seize it – and, above all, prevent a replay of the 35-day shutdown.
For this tycoon, business and sustainability go hand in hand. Here’s why.
Mention the name Tan Sri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah, AO and one would invariably know him as the Founder and Chairman of Malaysia’s Sunway Group. After all, the soft-spoken businessman is recognized for developing some of the most iconic townships and establishments in Malaysia.
These include Sunway City in Kuala Lumpur, Sunway City Ipoh in the state of Perak and Sunway Iskandar in southern Malaysia. Spanning about 5,000 acres across the country, the townships and other integrated developments comprise a host of healthcare, education, retail, hospitality, leisure and commercial entities, in a ...
While the founder of the Sunway Group is famed for being a real estate and construction magnate, unbeknownst to many, Cheah isn’t just all about being a corporate giant in Malaysia.
Such is the nature of Cheah and his convictions about Mother Earth that he does not view business, society and the environment as distinct from each other. A firm believer in protecting the earth while having benefited from its natural resources, Cheah has always strived to balance the delicate scales of progress and s...
Recalling his early days when he acquired the land on which Sunway City sits today, Cheah says, “Sunway City was completely mined-out by the British. When I took over, I used the open-cast mining technique to get to the earth’s resources.
“While I saw mining and construction as a necessity for development, I was discomforted that it was very much a zero-sum scenario. After more than 15 years, this whole place was really a wasteland. So I felt it was my responsibility to convert this wasteland back into something that is livable.
“I realized that I had the opportunity to turn the area into a positive-sum scenario. I wanted the transformation of this moonscape area into Sunway City to be an example of how we can turn an ecological wasteland into a thriving and sustainable community,” he says.
Indeed Sunway City today is a testament to the balance of progress and sustainability. The city is located on what was once a large, disused mining area and completely barren land. There weren’t even earthworms in the soil, exclaims Cheah.
Cheah says the Sunway Group set out to rehabilitate this ecological eyesore and turned it into an integrated green city with a vibrant and thriving community. Today, Sunway City and its confines are interspersed with 25,000 trees and are home to about 150 species of flora and fauna. The Green Building Index (GBI), a gr...
A 30-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur, Sunway City is also home to seven million square feet of world-class facilities and attracts 42 million visits a year. The 1,350-acre Sunway City Ipoh in the northern city of Ipoh, Perak, has a complete township that is in harmony with nature and the area’s ancient limestone formati...
“I’m thankful for such a comment and looking at Sunway today, I’m proud to say that I’ve been able to do that,” says Cheah of Lee’s comment.
But if you thought that Cheah is resting on his laurels and enjoying the fruits of his reinvention of Sunway City, think again.
These plans will also be consistent with the aspirations and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations.
For some companies, sustainability may only be a part of the overall corporate responsibility efforts they engage in. But this isn’t the case with Sunway Group.
Cheah actively imbues his employees with his passion for sustainability—because sustainability isn’t just a tagline but rather the very core of his belief.
Cheah says over the past two centuries, climate change, global warming, the changing environment, urbanization and population growth are clear indications that humans must somehow find a path toward progress that meets the demands of our global community without upsetting the ecological equilibrium that sustains our pl...
Sunway South Quay’s water treatment plant is estimated to produce 10,000m3 per day, lifting approximately 15,000 households off the public water supply within Sunway City.
“We should spend on research in sustainability science and continue to educate a new generation of scientists, policymakers and business leaders to ensure that we can grow our economy while preserving the planet,” he says.
In fact that is exactly what Cheah has done. In April last year via the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, Cheah gifted US$10 million to establish the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development housed at Sunway University, which was officially launched in December.
The pioneering Jeffrey Sachs Center will be a hub for research and policy practice, creating world-class programs to train a new generation of students, practitioners and policy leaders. It will also develop links with universities, industries, government bodies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and social enterpri...
Beyond setting up the Jeffrey Sachs Center, Cheah believes that even from a business point of view, there is a necessity for sustainability, as for any business empire to thrive there needs to be a hospitable planet.
This is why the Sunway Group has been for years promoting the idea of a “sustainable township,” a concept that encompasses a holistic vision that transcends physical manifestations such as going green and reducing carbon footprints.
Cheah says sustainability includes the nurturing of communities because for any township to thrive, there needs to be all the right components to make it vibrant, which in turn creates a livable ecosystem for its occupants to flourish.
“In my many travels, I’ve come across Malaysians based overseas and I often challenge them to come back to the country,” he says. “They are understandably hesitant to return as they are worried about not being able to utilize their skills and also because they’re unsure if they can adjust to the life here.
Tan Sri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah, AO (left), with Professor Jeffrey Sachs at Sunway University, ahead of the launch of the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development.
Still, Cheah acknowledges that there are impediments to this vision and believes the most important change is mindset.
Cheah also believes that businesses and governments need to address the real issues of inequality, development gaps and reforming economic models that tend to prioritize growth over people and the planet.
“Policies and projects that have negative impact on the Sustainable Development Goals have to be rejected,” he says. “Long-term sustainability rather than short-term profits should be the determining factor.
“As for the education sector, there is a lack of research that is application oriented. In this regard, we need a closer connection between research institutions and the industry. Education ensures that the concept of sustainability reaches the hearts and minds of people. This must be widespread and deep, and reach out...
A father and son from Oxfordshire who rescued a pensioner trapped in a car that was seconds away from bursting into flames have been honoured for their bravery.
Builders Michael Kennedy Senior and Michael Junior were driving to work last December when they saw the 67-year-old's car hit a tree and catch fire along the A3400 near Chipping Norton.
The pair realised he was trapped and had to be rescued immediately as smoke billowed from the vehicle.
They managed to free him and drag him to safety before the car burst into flames.
They have been awarded the Chief Fire Officers Commendation of Bravery at a special ceremony held by Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue last night.
Two workers at a plastic factory, Batisz Pytko and Arthur Biegala, also received the commendation after they broke through a wall to save a colleague from being trapped in a fire in May.
He was 1 of 12 members of staff on duty when the fire broke out and was stuck in a room filling up with toxic smoke...the men pulled him to safety and he was treated for smoke inhalation and burns.
80 firefighters were called to the fire at Oxford Plastics' Enstone Plant and smoke could be seen for up to 12 miles away.
“These awards are a small recognition for their personal bravery and we are proud to acknowledge their courage in the face of adversity.
And now... a ganja growers association!

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