Burns supper stand, join hands, and sing " Auld Lang Syne" to bring the evening to an end. Burns supper A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), the author of many Scots poems. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, occasionally known as Robert Burns Day (or Robbie Burns Day or Rabbie Burns Day) but more commonly known as Burns Night (). However, in principle, celebrations may be held at any other time of the year. The first supper was held "in
Auld Lang Syne dance measure. (See the note in the William Shield article on this subject.) In 1855, different words were written for the Auld Lang Syne tune by Albert Laighton and titled, "Song of the Old Folks." This song was included in the tunebook, "Father Kemp's Old Folks Concert Tunes" published in Boston, Massachusetts in 1860. For many years it was the tradition of the Stoughton Musical Society to sing this version in memory of those who had died that year. Songwriter George M. Cohan quotes the first line of the "Auld Lang Syne" melody in the second to last line of