Watch Night

Many of you who live or grew up in black communities in the United States have probably heard of “Watch Night Service,” 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 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.

Many of 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, Americans of African descent came together in churches, gathering places
And private homes throughout the nation, anxiously awaiting news that the Emancipation
Proclamation had become law. Then, at the stoke of midnight, it was January 1, 1863,
And according to Lincoln’s promise, all slaves in the Confederate States were legally free. People remained in churches and other gathering places, eagerly waiting word that
Emancipation had been declared. When the actual news of freedom was received later that day, there were prayers, shorts and songs of joy as people fell to their knees and
Thanked God.

  But even before 1862 and the possibility of a presidential Emancipation, African
People had gathered on New Year’s Eve on plantations across the South. That happened
Because many owners of enslaved Africans tallied up their business accounts on the first
Day of each New Year. Human property was sold along with land and furnishings to
Satisfy debts. Families and friends were separated. Often they never saw each other again in” this world”. Thus, coming together on December 31 might have been the best time for enslaved and free Africans to be together with loved ones.

So, Blacks in North America have gathered annually on New Year’s
The earliest days, praising God for bringing us safely through another year and praying
For the Year of Jubilee. Many generations have passed since then, yet our faith still bring
Us together at the end of every year to celebrate once agin”how we got over”,