The occasion, known as Watch Night or "Freedom's Eve, " marks when African Americans across the country watched and waited for the news of freedom. Some other common dishes include: candied yams, cornbread, potato salad, and macaroni and cheese. However, the decree would not take effect until the clock struck midnight at the start of the new year. But enslaved people persisted in their faith practices as forms of resistance and freedom. The Broadmoor is proud to continue the new tradition of The Broadmoor's New Year's Eve Bash, a high-energy, separately ticketed party held in The Broadmoor's International Center. As Charlotte Martin, a formerly enslaved woman from Florida, recounted, "[The plantation owner] would not permit them to hold religious meetings or any other kinds of meetings, but they frequently met in secret to conduct religious services. "
Charlotte's own brother was beaten to death for participating in such secret worship meetings. This video will live at 12AM on Monday, February 14th. Watch Night service is rooted in African American religious traditions. They convened at praise houses on plantations or secretly gathered in the woods, where they practiced their faith under the protective cover of the trees and brush in what became known as "hush harbors. " Saturday, December 31, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Main Sanctuary. During the first Watch Night, many enslaved African Americans gathered to pray, worship, sing, and dance. Today, Watch Night is an annual New Year's Eve tradition that includes the memory of slavery and freedom, reflections on faith, and celebration of community and strength. Forerunners For Christ. The Watch Night service typically begins around 7pm on December 31 and lasts through midnight, as faith leaders guide congregants in praise and worship. Traditionally, Hoppin' John consists of black-eyed peas, rice, red peppers, and salt pork, and it is believed to bring good fortune to those who eat it. The Bridge Young Adults (18-30).
Join us as we will close out the year with our New Year's Eve service. If mere effort and willpower are not enough to defeat sin in our lives, what should we do? These cloudless skies, this balmy air, this brilliant sunshine... are in harmony with the glorious morning of liberty about to dawn up on us. Despite these laws, enslaved people sought to exercise their own religious customs, including Christianity, Islam, and indigenous faith practices reflective of the homes from which they were stolen. Location: International Center.
It is a continuation of generations of faith that freedom and renewal lie ahead. The occasion is customarily marked by celebrations of fellowship and a worship service, followed by a fortuitous meal on New Year's Day. For those livestreaming the service from home, you can prepare the elements (juice & cracker) in advance and partake in Communion with us. It is a day for poetry and song, a new song. Though Hoppin' John is a common dish prepared for Watch Night, the foods prepared in observance of the tradition are incredibly diverse and reflective of regional, temporal, and cultural differences within the African American community. Invite your family and friends to come out for a special time of worship and the Word as we give glory to God and reflect upon His faithfulness in 2022.
Time: Doors will open at 8:30pm, dancing begins at 9pm. This spirit is still visible in Watch Night services today. Just a few months earlier, on September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the executive order that declared enslaved people in the rebelling Confederate States legally free. Frederick Douglass December 31, 1862.
Why is sin a much bigger problem than what we simply do? Homeless (Feed His Hope). The Historical Legacy of Watch Night. 1848 Georgia Slave Code. Initially meant to welcome emancipation, today the Watch Night service encourages reflection on the history of slavery and freedom, as well as reflection on the past year—both its trials and triumphs—while also anticipating what the new year will have in store. Before finding its way into American traditions, the black-eyed pea (also known as cowpea) traveled from Central Africa to the West Indies and finally to the Carolinas in the early 1700s. All-inclusive tickets are $150 per person, and includes small plates, tapas-style buffet, desert buffet, dancing, one drink coupon per person, and a champagne toast at midnight. Many congregants across the nation bow in prayer minutes before the midnight hour as they sing out "Watchman, watchman please tell me the hour of the night. " Feed His Hope (Homeless). In return the minister replies "it is three minutes to midnight"; "it is one minute before the new year"; and "it is now midnight, freedom has come, " to bless their transition into the new year.
Communion will be served. Celebratory foods include a diverse collection of culinary traditions that can be traced back to Southern superstition, influenced by beliefs across West Africa. On the night of December 31, 1862, enslaved and free African Americans gathered, many in secret, to ring in the new year and await news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. Many West African cultures regard the pea as lucky, and memories of its luck remained with enslaved black people in the American South and still endure today. Kid LIFE will be provided for nursery and preschool. Grades K-12th are welcome to sit with their families in the main sanctuary.
White enslavers feared that religion, which was often used to quell slave resistance, could incite the exact opposite if practiced without observance. Sorry, registration for this event is now closed.