How was Christmas celebrated in 1914?
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The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs. Some Germans lit Christmas trees around their trenches, and there was even a documented case of soldiers from opposing sides playing a good-natured game of soccer.
What was Christmas like during the Great Depression?
A common Christmas Day routine during the Depression consisted of waking up, opening what presents there were, then going to church. Afterward came Christmas dinner, either at home or at a relative’s house, where the men played cards, the kids just played, and the women cooked — usually chicken.
Why did WWI happen?
World War I, also known as the Great War, began in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. His murder catapulted into a war across Europe that lasted until 1918.
Who won the football match in 1914?
The Saxons won 3-2. ‘The British brought a ball from the trenches, and soon a lively game ensued,’ wrote schoolteacher Lieutenant Kurt Zehmisch, of the 134th Saxons, in his diary. ‘How marvellous, how wonderful, yet how strange it was.
What was happening in 1914?
On June 28, 1914, in an event that is widely regarded as sparking the outbreak of World War I, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire, was shot to death with his wife by Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, Bosnia.
What was the Christmas Truce of 1914?
The Christmas Truce occurred on and around Christmas Day 1914, when the sounds of rifles firing and shells exploding faded in a number of places along the Western Front during World War I in favor of holiday celebrations.
What happened on Christmas Day 1914 in WW1?
On December 7, 1914, Pope Benedict XV suggested a temporary hiatus of the war for the celebration of Christmas. The warring countries refused to create any official cease-fire, but on Christmas the soldiers in the trenches declared their own unofficial truce.
Did they really play soccer on Christmas Eve and Day 1914?
But what actually happened on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day of 1914 — and did they really play soccer on the battlefield? Pope Benedict XV, who took office that September, had originally called for a Christmas truce, an idea that was officially rejected.
How did World War I affect Christmas in Europe?
During World War I, the soldiers on the Western Front did not expect to celebrate on the battlefield, but even a world war could not destroy the Christmas spirit.