It was December 1914. It had been 5 months since the First World War had started. The armies of Britain, France and Belgium were fighting the soldiers of Germany and Italy. Before the war, all the countries had given false assurances to their soldiers that the war would end by Christmas and they would return home. However, this could not happen. The condition of the soldiers on both sides, living in dilapidated barracks in the freezing cold, was very bad. In such a situation, something unique happened on the night of 24 December, that is, on Christmas Eve. The soldiers on both sides decided that they would not shed blood on Christmas Day. Firing was stopped from both sides from the night itself. This story is remembered all over the world, but no one knows how this historic ceasefire began? Today on Christmas Day, let us know this whole story
The song stopped the war
According to the New York Times, historians believe that the ceasefire began with the German soldiers singing carols on Christmas evening. Actually, while celebrating Christmas, Christians around the world sing some songs, which are called Christmas carols. According to Graham William of the Fifth Rifle Brigade of London, the song started first from Germany, in response to which the British soldiers also started singing. Then soon the soldiers of both sides sang Christmas songs in their own languages. The next day, on Christmas morning, the German soldiers came out of their barracks and greeted the soldiers of the friendly country by saying ‘Merry Christmas’ in English and hugged them. Due to this, the enemies became friends for a few hours and the war stopped. Enemy soldiers were given cigarettes to smoke, caps were given as gifts. There is another story of Christmas Day. On the morning of 25 December 1914, a sign board was shown from Germany. It was written on it, ‘You do not fire, we will also not fire.’ After this, throughout the day, the soldiers of both sides gave each other cigarettes, food and caps as gifts. During this, the last rites of those soldiers were also performed, who were lying in ‘No Man’s Land’ after dying in the war. ‘No Man’s Land’ is the area between the barracks of both sides in the war. A German barber cut the hair of British soldiers on Christmas Day. There are many interesting stories about this day. One of them is that a British soldier took advantage of the ceasefire for some time to get his hair cut. Actually, before the war started, that British soldier used to get his hair cut by a German barber. After the war started between the two countries, he was not able to get his hair cut by that barber, but, as soon as the fighting stopped for some time on Christmas Day, he quickly called that German barber and got his hair cut. Soldiers from both sides also played football together in ‘No Man’s Land’. Many teams were formed for this. However, there is no record of the basis on which these teams were formed. The war stopped for just one day on the occasion of Christmas. This ceasefire did not happen everywhere on Christmas Day in 1914. According to Times Magazine, there is evidence that firing continued in many places in the world. There were some cases related to this day in which a ceasefire was tried from one side, but the enemy army opened fire from the front. The peace that began on Christmas Eve in the middle of the war did not last long. In many places, soldiers from both sides took up arms the very next day. However, in many places, peace continued till the New Year. Alfred Anderson of the Fifth Battalion of the Black Watch Regiment told The Observer that that peace was very short for that dangerous war. However, he also told that many times the fighting would stop in the middle of the war. However, what happened on Christmas Day in 1914 never happened again. The commanders of both sides never allowed a Christmas truce again in the coming years. ——————————————– Also read this news related to Christmas…. Christmas celebrations in the country and the world: Special prayers were held in churches; There was no decoration even in the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem. Churches have been decorated across the country and the world for the celebration of Christmas. Special prayers were offered at midnight in churches. In India too, pictures of Christmas celebrations have emerged from many states including Goa, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu. Read the full news here….
