Watch Night: How Black Americans Welcomed Freedom With Prayer

Watch Night or ‘Freedom’s Eve’ commemorates when African Americans watched and waited for the Emancipation Proclamation.

On the night of Dec. 31, 1862, under cover of darkness and winter cold, groups of Americans of African descent — some free, others still enslaved — gathered quietly across the country. As the Civil War raged and their fate hung in the balance, Black men, women, and children came together to observe Watch Night, a religious tradition rooted in Christian worship and collective reflection.

But this night was different.

Instead of somber reflection on past sins and prayers to God for obedience and grace, however, the Black men, women, and children who huddled in dank cellars, in ramshackle slave quarters, or outdoors under the stars, waited anxiously as midnight slowly approached, when the Emancipation Proclamation would take effect  — marking what they hoped would be freedom for themselves and their loved ones. 

What Is Watch Night?

Most people in the Black community are familiar with Watch Night, one of the oldest cultural traditions of New Year’s Eve. Marked with late-night worship services in church, the event is usually followed by a fellowship meal or a love feast. 

The original article details other traditions and the night’s complexities.

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