Prior
to 1862, New Year's Eve was a somber occasion for slaves. This was
the day when plantation owners tallied up their business accounts for
first day of each new year. Debts would need to be paid by the first
of each year, so human property was sold, along with land and
furnishings. It was a tragic time, when families were split apart
forever.
But
on Dec. 31, 1862, American slaves impatiently waited for the stroke
of midnight, which would signify the adoption of President Abraham
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which he had signed on Sept.
22, 1862. This action legally guaranteed the freedom of slaves in all
Confederate states. At midnight, January 1, 1863, Confederate slaves
everywhere dropped to their knees and thanked God for their freedom.
The occasion that year would come to be known as “Freedom’s Eve”.
Though
we all know the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t take effect
immediately in all states, the time-honored tradition of
African-Americans gathering together to bring in the New Year under
religious standards still lives during Watch Night.
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