Monday, December 21, 2009

Peace, If One Song Can Do It For One Night; Why Can We Do It For A Lifetime

HIT PLAY ON THE FIRST VIDEO BEFORE READING PLEASE This is my favorite song whoever sings it.



The truce began on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1914, 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, most notably Stille Nacht (Silent Night). 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, jam, cigars, chocolate, and the like. The soldiers exchanged gifts, sometimes addresses, and drank together. 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 respects.

The truce spread to other areas of the lines, and there are many stories of football matches between the opposing forces.

In many sectors, the truce lasted through Christmas night, but in some areas, it continued until New Year's Day.



7 comments:

Stan said...

I feel sorry for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan away from their families and loved ones because they were sent to fight these stupid ass wars.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ray, thanks for this lovely post! There's a film about this event, called 'Merry Christmas', which is a French-German co-production and was nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign language film about four years ago.

Ultra Dave said...

Beautiful !

Bruno said...

This is just another reason I love following your blog. Thank you for reminding us what it's all really about. Happy holidays to you and JuJu. - - Bruno

Ur-spo said...

Silent Night is one of my favorites, too.
I think it is one of the top ten most beautiful songs ever composed.

Leatherpigboy said...

This is awesome Ray!

Ray's Cowboy said...

Thanks you guys. I really want to thank you for the wonderful thoughts here.
Ray