A Christmas message of peace...
Here's an interesting anecdote from the history books:
The "Christmas truce" began on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1914, during World War I, when German troops began decorating the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres, Belgium, for Christmas. They began by placing candles on trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols. The British troops in the trenches across from them responded by singing English carols.
The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were calls for visits across the "No Man's Land", where small gifts were exchanged — whisky, cigars, and the like. The artillery in the region fell silent that night. The truce also allowed a breathing spell where recently-fallen soldiers could be brought back behind their lines by burial parties. Proper burials took place as soldiers from both sides mourned the dead together and paid their respect. At one funeral in No Man's Land, soldiers from both sides gathered and read a passage from the 23rd Psalm:
"The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures. He leaveth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his namesake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."
The truce spread to other areas of the lines, and there are many stories of football (that's soccer to us North Americans :-) matches between the opposing forces. Letters home confirm the score of one of these games to be 3–2 in favour of Germany.
In many sectors, the truce lasted through Christmas night, but in some areas, it continued until New Year's Day.
The truce occurred in spite of opposition at higher levels of the military. Earlier in the autumn, a call by Pope Benedict XV for an official truce between the warring governments had been ignored.
[SOURCE: Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce]
Sadly, this touching series of events was not repeated in the subsequent years of the war. While there were occasional reports of smaller, more isolated truces in certains sectors, never again did a general truce materialize among the opposing armies. The miracle of Christmas 1914 did not repeat itself.
Nevertheless, for a brief time, these brave men were able to forget the horrors of the trenches, put aside their differences and come together in a spirit of friendship, generosity and peace. A true validation of the Christmas spirit!
So, as we celebrate the holidays 91 years later, let us not only enjoy the company of friends & family, but also try to reach out to someone who's drifted away from you on the river of life. Build a bridge or two, repair a broken friendship, make an effort to extend an olive branch - put the past behind behind you and move forward in the spirit of peace.
Life is far too short to waste on holding a grudge...
The "Christmas truce" began on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1914, during World War I, when German troops began decorating the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres, Belgium, for Christmas. They began by placing candles on trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols. The British troops in the trenches across from them responded by singing English carols.
The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were calls for visits across the "No Man's Land", where small gifts were exchanged — whisky, cigars, and the like. The artillery in the region fell silent that night. The truce also allowed a breathing spell where recently-fallen soldiers could be brought back behind their lines by burial parties. Proper burials took place as soldiers from both sides mourned the dead together and paid their respect. At one funeral in No Man's Land, soldiers from both sides gathered and read a passage from the 23rd Psalm:
"The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures. He leaveth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his namesake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."
The truce spread to other areas of the lines, and there are many stories of football (that's soccer to us North Americans :-) matches between the opposing forces. Letters home confirm the score of one of these games to be 3–2 in favour of Germany.
In many sectors, the truce lasted through Christmas night, but in some areas, it continued until New Year's Day.
The truce occurred in spite of opposition at higher levels of the military. Earlier in the autumn, a call by Pope Benedict XV for an official truce between the warring governments had been ignored.
[SOURCE: Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce]
Sadly, this touching series of events was not repeated in the subsequent years of the war. While there were occasional reports of smaller, more isolated truces in certains sectors, never again did a general truce materialize among the opposing armies. The miracle of Christmas 1914 did not repeat itself.
Nevertheless, for a brief time, these brave men were able to forget the horrors of the trenches, put aside their differences and come together in a spirit of friendship, generosity and peace. A true validation of the Christmas spirit!
So, as we celebrate the holidays 91 years later, let us not only enjoy the company of friends & family, but also try to reach out to someone who's drifted away from you on the river of life. Build a bridge or two, repair a broken friendship, make an effort to extend an olive branch - put the past behind behind you and move forward in the spirit of peace.
Life is far too short to waste on holding a grudge...
posted by Blake @ 8:44 p.m.
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