Christmas Eve, chromolithography (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today is Christmas Eve, 2013, the day most of us choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I say “choose,” because no one knows for sure on just what day Jesus was born. In fact, even the year is disputed. Getting right the day of his birth is not important. That he was born is the single most important event is history.
For those of you who found time to read this humble blog entry, here are a few notable events that occurred on Christmas Eve in years gone by.
The first radio broadcast of both voice and music took place on Christmas Eve, 1906. Sailors aboard vessels in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea were astonished when at exactly 9:00 p.m. they received over their ship’s radio in Morse code the message, “CQ CQ CQ,” a general call to all stations within range. The “dots and dashes” message was followed by the voice of Reginald Aubrey Fessenden. After a brief introduction, Fessenden played “O Holy Night” on his violin, followed by his reading from the Gospel of Luke: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of good will.” [A dramatic recreation of Fessenden’s broadcast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elu0HF4a8yI ]
Sixty-two years later the Apollo 8 astronauts were orbiting the moon on Christmas Eve. Mimicking Fessenden’s historic broadcast, the astronauts took turns reading the opening verses from Genesis 1. They ended their broadcast with “Good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you — all of you on the good Earth.” [For live coverage of the Apollo 8 broadcast by CBS News: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aIf0G2PtHo ]
On Christmas Eve in 1818, a poem by Joseph Mohr titled “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht,” set to music by Franz Gruber, was performed for the first time during midnight mass at St. Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, Germany. On Christmas Eve, 1914, “Silent Night, Holy Night” was sung in German, French, and English during a spontaneous truce along the Western Front at the opening of World War I. It remains one of the best loved Christmas hymns of all time. [To hear the original German: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUb8ySdERKs ]
One of my most memorable Christmas Eves was that of 1968. It was the 150th anniversary of “Silent Night, Holy Night.” I attended midnight mass at St. Stanislaus Church in my hometown of Bay City, Michigan. St. Stanislaus is a neo gothic church in what was earlier the Polish section of the city. Outside everything was covered in snow. The beautiful crowded sanctuary was not much warmer. At the front of the sanctuary were fresh cut pine trees and a lovely manger scene. The smell of fresh pine mingled with the smell of incense drifting through the air, added to the ambiance of the moment. Since it was the anniversary of the first performance of “Silent Night, Holy Night,” the church’s orchestra and choir performed it in numerous languages, including of course, Polish.
I wish to complete these thoughts on Christmas Eve, 2013 with two of my favorite Christmas poems. First, the better known “Journey of the Magi” by T.S. Eliot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCVnuEWXQcg
Second, the lessor known “Bethlehem BC” by Rod McKuen: http://www.rodmckuen.com/music/bethbc.mp3
Merry Christmas to one and all, and until next time, do good, be good, and always live under the mercy.
Related articles
- Silent Night (freddieflugelsblog.wordpress.com)
- Silent Night was First Performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 (journalofanacedemicdreamer.wordpress.com)
- Silent Night/Holy Night – Guns are silent and out of Sight (vineoflifenews.com)
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