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[matusiak <dave AT matusiak.org>]

Hello everyone --

Just a quick note to say "Happy New Year!!" to you all and wish you  
the best for 2007.  I found this interesting explanation of "auld  
lang syne" on Ask Yahoo! today and thought some here might be  
interested.

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http://ask.yahoo.com/20070101.html

Dear Yahoo!:
What does "auld lang syne" really mean?
An Old Acquaintance
Dear Acquaintance:

The words "auld lang syne" mean "old long since" or "times long  
past." They show up in a song traditionally sung in many English- 
speaking countries on New Year's Eve (or Hogmanay, in Scotland) .

The lyrics as we know them were written as a poem in 1788 by  
Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns. However Burns noted it was an  
old ballad, and he "took it down" from a man who was singing it.

The earliest reference to the well-known lines comes from the 15th  
century. However the best-known written connection to Burns' work was  
a poem published in 1711 called "Old Longsyne" and attributed to  
either Sir Robert Aytoun or Francis Sempill.

The old Scots dialect can make the lyrics difficult to understand and  
remember. Even in Scotland, many people don't get the words right.  
It's the thought behind the song that really matters -- remembering  
old friendships in the new year.

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Cheers!!
Dave M.