Scottish Influence: Music

Same Old Lang Syne...or is it Auld Lang Syne? Well Robbie Burns wrote the famous poem that was turned into song that everyone sings on New Years Eve. And did you know that New Year's in Scotland is called Hogmanany? There are many traditions involved in the Hogmanany celebration. The first to cross the threshold after midnight brings a bottle of whisky and a piece of coal. It's called First Footing...

What is First Footing? Traditionally, it has been held that your new year will be a prosperous one if, at the strike of midnight, a "tall, dark stranger" appears at your door with a lump of coal for the fire, or a cake or coin. In exchange, you offered him food, wine or a wee dram of whisky, or the traditional Het Pint, which is a combination of ale, nutmeg and whisky. It's been sugggested that the fear associated with blond strangers arose from the memory of blond-haired Viking’s raping and pillaging Scotland circa 4th to 12th centuries. What's more likely to happen these days is that groups of friends or family get together and do a tour of each others' houses. Each year, a household takes it in turn to provide a meal for the group. In many parts of Scotland gifts or "Hogmananys" are exchanged after the turn of midnight.

We'll have more on Hogmanany for sure but right now the difference between Dan Fogelberg's Same Old Lang Syne and Robbie Burns Auld Lang Syne.

Dan Fogelberg


Robbie Burns