Myths and mix-ups
A few tidy stories about New Year that are less tidy once the sources are in view.
The lyrics wish you a happy new year
The lyrics are about old friends having a drink and recalling adventures they had long ago. There is no specific reference to the new year. Britannica The words can be interpreted as since long ago or for old times' sake. Britannica
People sing it at midnight. The words themselves are about old friends and old times.
Scotland and England always started the year on the same day
According to Scotland's People, the first official New Year which took place on 1 January in Scotland was 1 January 1600. Scotland's People The rest of the British Isles did not adopt the New Year change until 1 January 1752, by which time 11 days had to be removed from the calendar in adjustment. Scotland's People It also notes that this English reckoning differs from the legal method of computation in Scotland. Calendar Act 1750
When did Scotland make 1 January the official New Year?
Encyclopaedia Britannica's New Year festival article says most European countries gradually followed the Gregorian restoration of 1 January, and gives Scotland in 1660 as an example. Scotland's People, the official family-history site of the National Records of Scotland, says the first official New Year which took place on that date in Scotland was 1 January 1600, and that before then the year officially began on 25 March. The Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 later recites that England's legal year still began on 25 March, and that this differed from the legal method of computation in Scotland. We report both dates and do not treat 1660 as settled.
Burns simply wrote Auld Lang Syne in 1788
Burns first wrote down "Auld Lang Syne" in 1788, but the poem did not appear in print until shortly after his death in 1796. Britannica Burns claimed that the words of "Auld Lang Syne" were taken "from an old man's singing." Britannica Poems with similar words existed before the time of Burns. Sir Robert Ayton, who died in 1638, wrote Old Long Syne, a poem that was first published in 1711. Britannica
Did Robert Burns write Auld Lang Syne, or revise it?
Britannica's New Year festival article calls Auld Lang Syne a nostalgic Scottish ballad "revised by the poet Robert Burns." Its dedicated Auld Lang Syne article says the words are attributed to Burns, that he first wrote the song down in 1788, and that he claimed the words were taken "from an old man's singing." It also notes earlier poems with similar words, including Sir Robert Ayton's Old Long Syne (published 1711) and a 1720 poem by Allan Ramsay. We report both wordings and do not choose one as the last word.
Hogmanay is only a Scottish custom
Hogmanay is the New Year's festival in Scotland and parts of northern England. Britannica First foot traditions are observed, for example, in Scotland, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England. Britannica
Bell ringing at New Year definitely began at Hogmanay
The holiday also reportedly introduced the practice of bell ringing to mark the new year. Britannica
Britannica's word is "reportedly." We do not upgrade that to a firm invention date.
Resolutions began, without doubt, in Babylonia 4,000 years ago
The practice of making resolutions to rid oneself of bad habits and to adopt better ones also dates to ancient times. Britannica Some believe the Babylonians began the custom more than 4,000 years ago. Britannica These early resolutions were likely made in an attempt to curry favor with the gods. Britannica