Silent Night
Round yon virgin, mother and child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hoch heilige Paar.
Holder Knab' im lockigen Haar,
Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!
But, on December 24, along the trenches of the western front, British and Scottish soldiers heard a startling sound—the sound of singing. And it was a song they instantly recognized, even if they did not understand the words. The song was Silent Night, or as the Germans sang it, Stille nacht, heilige nacht.
Shocked by this strange yet welcome sound, one by one, the English began singing "back" to the Germans their version of this beautiful melody. Soon, voices on both sides filled the air with the strains of Silent Night.
As they looked across to the enemy trenches, the Allies began to spot candles raised on poles or bayonets. And even more incredibly, the English officers reported that some enemy troops were holding Christmas trees over their heads. Soldiers from both sides, who just hours before had been killing one another, tentatively began to emerge from their trenches and to venture into the dreaded "no man’s land" bringing good cheer and gifts from their kits—and to bury their dead.
Against all odds, a spontaneous, one day truce had begun; a truce that ignored all the rules of military conduct!
Here is Silent Night with lyrics sung by Casting Crowns https://youtu.be/Sb7M81xHK0k
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