The Christmas Truce

Christmas Spirit in Air

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However, as soon as the Christmas Eve will approach and the folks will gather around the family tables, the mighty power of Christmas truce will once again appear. Then, everybody will be happy. There is definitely something like Christmas spirit in the air that tends to put people together and force them to behave better, at least for a couple of hours of the year. I believe it is no coincidence that there is huge pressure to schedule the mediation sessions before the year will end: Everybody wants to settle, to start the new year with a clean slate.

The Most Peaceful Event in the Most Violent Setting

This might be proved also by one of the most extraordinary events in the history that occurred during the Great War (better known as the World War I, 1914-1918) which is definitely one of the most violent human conflicts.

This first global warfare involved more than 70 million military personnel. As a direct result, over nine million combatants and seven million civilians died, several genocides were conducted and many military inventions were presented: It was the first time for the poison gas, massive use of machine-guns, air rides and tanks. As terrible as this incident was, it also gave a rise to one spectacular event showing unlimited human kindness and tendency to peace: The Christmas truce of 1914.

During the first five months following the declaration of war, the German army initially encountered some success after an attack through Belgium into France. It was, however, repulsed by French and British forces and the fighting quickly degenerated into a trench-war stalemate.

Guns May Fall Silent upon Night Angels Sang

Although there were some official attempts to reach a ceasefire at this time, none of them met with any success. Such was the fate of both the Open Christmas Letter, a public message for peace addressed "To the Women of Germany and Austria", signed by a group of 101 British women activists and the initiative of Pope Benedict XV who called for an official truce between the warring governments at least for the period of Christmas:

"The guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.”

Both proposals were, however, refused as both the belligerent parties believed their victory is within arm’s reach. And so, the first war Christmas reached hundreds of thousands of man in war tranches from the North Sea to the Swiss mountain.

We do not know, where it began. Also, the unknown hero who took the first step is probably forever covered by shadows of history. However, at the sunset of 24th December, the first signs of truce appeared as the German troops decorated their trenches with candles and Christmas trees. The opposing soldiers believed this was a kind of provocation or trap. Then the Germans started to sing carols. The British joined them with their own Christmas songs.

Football Match in No Man's Land

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And then, all of sudden, the Christmas was gone and the ceasefire ended as suddenly as it appeared in the Western front. It involved more than 100,000 British, French and German soldiers and now, those once again stood in their trenches in an attempt to erase each other.

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Yet, we should spare a thought for the soldiers overcoming the hostility for those short moments of Christmas 1914. Many of them never returned home, for many of them, this was the last Christmas. Their message, however, carries on.

And so, I wish you the following: May the spirit of Christmas truce be everywhere…and may we never celebrate the Christmas in tranches!