On December 31, in 1862, Gullah Geechee people gathered in praise houses and churches to await a new year that would mark the promised end of our enslavement when the Emancipation Proclamation went into affect on January 1, 1863. Many African American churches still use the New Year’s eve watch night service to remember this historic day.

According to Teressa L. Fry Brown, Bandy Professor of Preaching at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology:

“this night of worship celebrates historical and existential freedom and acknowledges that waiting, even for freedom, and watching, is a part of our cultural and spiritual history".

The Watch Night Service remains an important part of my spiritual ritual. As we end one cycle and enter another we are encouraged to reflect on the lessons learned and to leave behind that which is no longer needed as the elders used to say "…Let go what is…