Christmas time in the trenches
The trenches were elaborate and heavily fortified rows of open tunnels, most commonly used on the battlefields of World War I. Armies could spend weeks, even months, in these dirt trenches, constantly vigilant of the danger lying on the other side.
On Christmas day, 1914, there was a ceasefire. Some eyewitness accounts say that German and British troops started to sing Christmas carols. They then met on no man’s land, the dangerous barren zone that separated the trenches, to exchange cigarettes, alcohol and chocolate. One soldier took out a soccer ball and the rest was history. United by the sport, soldiers forgot they were with the men they were trying to kill hours before.
The holidays were a time for togetherness and sharing, but with consumerism and materialism taking over the North American lifestyle, we find ourselves forgetting the true spirit of Christmas. This attitude has even crossed over to the world of Football. What was once “the poor man’s sport” has now become a prestigious, billion dollar business. Advertisements have taken over the sidelines and find themselves plastered across the jerseys of our favourite players. True fans can barely get decent seats, yet alone afford tickets to see their favourite team play. Hopefully the Christmas ceasefire will remind us what the sport is really about.
Tags: 1914, British, Christmas, German, no man’s land, soccer, World War I
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Comments (1) :
Jan 6th, 2010
January 6th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
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