Why ‘Auld Lang Syne’ still unites the world at midnight

James Frater, CNN Edinburgh, Scotland (CNN) — As “Auld Lang Syne” takes its annual spin around the globe on New Year’s Eve, its chorus belted out by revelers young and old, Edinburgh’s Poet Laureate Michael Pedersen says the song’s enduring power lies not in tradition alone, but in its uncanny ability to bind people together.