Celtic Thunder Official

On this day in 1914 on the Western Front, many German and British troops sang Christmas carols to each other across the lines, and at certain points the Allied soldiers even heard brass bands joining the Germans in their joyous singing.

At the first light of dawn on Christmas Day, some German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no-man’s-land, calling out “Merry Christmas” in their enemies’ native tongues. They climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the enemy soldiers. The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs and played a good-natured game of soccer.

The 'Christmas Truce of 1914' served as heartening proof, that beneath the brutal clash of weapons, the soldiers’ essential humanity endured.