Every year Edinburgh opens its doors to the best New Year’s Eve party in the world.

Welcome to Edinburgh, home to the biggest Hogmanay festivities in the world. Every year the city centre hosts the most amazing New Year celebrations. Thousands of people from all over the world join the locals for the best shindig there is!

In Scotland, New Year’s Day is preceded by Old Year’s Night celebrations that, more often than not, run on well into the second day of the New Year. You have been warned, these festivities require stamina, many months of training and a well lined stomach!!!

What New Year’s celebrations would be complete without the famous linking of arms in a circle after a good old ceilidh (a fun Scottish folk dance) and a verse or two of Auld Lang Syne? The traditional way to sing out these words during the early hours is to sing the first verse and chorus (additionally the last line is swapped for “and days of auld lang syne”. It is not uncommon to jump up and down during the final chorus and then dash into the middle and out again facing outwards.
 

Auld Lang Syne, edited by Robbie Burns during the 18th century (complete with English translation in brackets) from ‘Songs from Robert Burns’.

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne ?

Chorus
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely ye’ll be (buy) your pint-stoup (cup) !
And surely I’ll be (buy) mine !
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

(The chorus)
 
We twa (two) hae (have) run about the braes (hills),
and pou’d (picked) the gowans (daisies) fine ;
But we’ve wander’d mony (many) a weary fit (foot),
sin’ (since) auld lang syne.

(The chorus)

We twa (two) hae (have) paidl’d (paddled) in the burn (stream),
frae (from) morning sun till dine (dinner time) ;
But seas between us braid (broad) hae (have) roar’d
sin’ (since) auld lang syne.

(The chorus)

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere (friend) !
And gies (give us) a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll tak (take) a right gude-willie-waught (goodwill draught),
for auld lang syne.

(The chorus)