AULD LANG SYNE

January 1 first became New Years Day in 46 BC in the Julian calendar. The date was changed by Christians until Pope Gregory XIII issued the Gregorian Calendar in 1582, once again establishing January 1 as New Years Day. The popular New Year’s song “Auld Lang Syne” is at least 220 years old. The tune was originally penned in 1788 by the Scottish poet Robert Burns, who claimed he had assembled it from a variety of older sources. Despite its long history, “Auld Lang Syne” didn’t become popularly associated with the holiday season until 1929, when Canadian bandleader Guy Lombardo began using it as part of his New Year’s Eve broadcasts.