Scottish Takeover - Happy Hogmanay

Susan Omand hopes you've been practising your dances and are ready for tonight's Hogmanay celebrations. There's one more thing she thinks you need to know about though...

[Editor's note: We know it's early but there may have been drink involved.]

I need to talk about Auld Lang Syne. It is a song heard the world over at the bells, as well as at the end of  every good ceilidh/wedding/party/event/anything in Scotland. But my guess is you've been "getting it wrong" up until now so I want to set a few things straight so you don't start the New Year on the wrong (first) foot and look like idiots (more than usual, anyway.)

1) Syne is pronounced like "sign" not "zyne" - soft S. Always. Like a snake. Not a buzz-saw.

2) It's not "for the sake of" anything, it's just "for." For auld lang syne. That's the way it was written. Just "for," ok?

3) Never, and I mean NEVER, join hands at the start of the song. Wait until the verse where it says "Here's a hand my trusty fiere" (fiere means friend by the way. You're welcome.) That's why you do the hands thing in this song anyway, to give a hand in friendship, so know when to do it.

4) It wasn't actually written by Robert Burns. He merely transcribed an old folk song that he heard someone else singing and has never claimed to be the composer. So now you've learned something.

5) The hands thing. Seriously. Try and remember. It's Important.

6) Realise that nobody else will really care whether or not you get it wrong, only me, so just get out there, meet friends, party, be safe and have a happy Hogmanay.

See you in 2018!

Oh yeah, and one more thing....

7) The tune. THIS is the original version of the tune. Yes, really.