New Year’s Tradition of Watch Night Services Dates to Civil War

Watch Night, also known as Freedom's Eve, is a sacred New Year's Eve tradition in Black communities rooted in Christian worship and remembrance of Dec. 31, 1862, when enslaved and free African.. The origin and use of the watch-night service speaks volumes concerning the spiritual passions that once characterized these two nations. The facts behind the origin and progress of the watch-night service are important strands in the tapestry that recounts the Christian origin of America.

Watch Night or "Freedom's Eve," marks when African Americans across the country watched and waited for the Emancipation Proclamation to take effect. Today, Watch Night service encourages reflection on the history of slavery and the previous year.. "Watch Night" services began in 1733 with the Moravian communities in what is now the Czech Republic. By 1740 John Wesley and his Methodist movement within Anglicanism had adopted the tradition, with New Year's Eve services ending after midnight, marked by penitence over shortcomings in the year past and resolution of greater faithfulness.