John Malveaux of
writes:
SAVE THE DATE
Many
of you who live or grew up in Black communities in the United States
have probably heard of "Watch Night Services," the gathering of the faithful
in church on New Year's Eve. The service usually begins anywhere from 7
p.m. to 10 p.m. and ends at midnight with the entrance of the New Year.
Some folks come to church first, before going out to celebrate. For
others, church is the only New Year's Eve event.
Like
many others, I always assumed that Watch Night was a fairly standard
Christian religious service — made a bit more Afro centric because
that's what happens when elements of Christianity become linked with the
Black Church. Still, it seemed that predominately White Christian
churches did not include Watch Night services on their calendars, but
focused instead on Christmas Eve programs. In fact, there were instances
where clergy in mainline denominations wondered aloud about the
propriety of linking religious services with a secular holiday like New
Year's Eve.
However, there is a reason for the importance of New Year's Eve services in African American congregations.
The
Watch Night Services in Black communities that we celebrate today can
be traced back to gatherings on December 31, 1862, also known as
"Freedom's Eve." On that night, Blacks came together in churches and
private homes all across the nation, anxiously awaiting news that the
Emancipation Proclamation actually had become law. Then, at the stroke
of midnight, it was January 1, 1863, and all slaves in the Confederate
States were declared legally free. When the news was received, there
were prayers, shouts and songs of joy as people fell to their knees and
thanked God.
Black
folks have gathered in churches annually on New Year's Eve ever since,
praising God for bringing us safely through another year.
It's
been 144 years since that first Freedom's Eve and many of us were never
taught the African American history of Watch Night, but tradition still
brings us together at this time every year to celebrate "how we got
over".
PS- Pass this information on so we can educate more of our family and friends!
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