Watch Night Began In 1733, Not 1862

We held a watch-night. It began at eight o'clock. Brother P. preached, and the people attended with great seriousness. Very few left the solemn place till the conclusion. Towards the end, a plain man spoke, who came out of the country, and his words went with great power to the souls of the people; so that we may say, " Who hath despised the day of small things?" Not the Lord our God: then why should self-important man? —Bishop Francis Asbury on the subject of his first preached Watch Night (Nov. 1771)

It was one of the most affecting and thrilling occasions I ever witnessed, and a worthy celebration of the first step on the part of the nation in its departure from the thraldom of ages. —Frederick Douglass on the subject of Freedom’s Eve (1862)

Very recently, I was encouraged to share my scholarship on Watch Night service. I can tell you that after a year and a half of research, I believe that I’ve only scratched the surface on this topic. However, I’d like to share what I’ve uncovered in hopes that it will be of primary use to my colleagues in the ministry as you prepare for your annual Watch Night services.

First, Watch Night is biblical.

Watch Night services are, by definition, vigils. Derived from the Latin word vigilia, meaning “watch,” a vigil is a service performed during the night. Vigils are found within the monastic traditions (think: monks) and practices of the early Christian church, particularly among communities devoted to sustained prayer and spiritual discipline. These practices are inspired and modeled by Jesus’ responses to moments of anguish, or his pursuit of resolution, i.e. Jesus’ retreat to the mountainside for prayer (Luke 6) and his vigil at the Garden of Gethsemane on the evening preceding his execution (Matthew 26).

The origin of Watch Night as a denominational worship practice is both Moravian and Methodist.

The Moravian Church, one of the oldest Protestant denominations, began the tradition of Watch Night services around 1733 in what is now the border region of the Czech Republic. Moravians viewed New Year’s Eve as a time for thanksgiving and covenant renewal.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, encountered the Moravian tradition in 1736, through which he directly experienced Watch Night services and Love Feasts. As a result, he incorporated these religious and communal practices into early Methodist contexts. On December 31, 1740, Wesley held a Watch Night service in England in an effort to keep coal miners from getting drunk; these services consisted of several hours of singing, prayer, preaching, and conversion experiences.

Early Watch Night services were not always on New Year’s Eve.

On April 9, 1742, the first “official” Watch Night service in London took place from 8:30 p.m. until after midnight. In the United States, the first Watch Night service was held on November 1, 1770, at Old St. George’s Church, currently the oldest house of Methodist worship in continuous use in the country. It was an integrated service, where freed blacks and whites sat AND worshipped together.

Two additional services followed that same year: one on November 4 in New York, and another on December 31 in Philadelphia, the latter marking the first Watch Night service held on New Year’s Eve in the United States.

Historically, Watch Night services included food-sharing rituals called Love Feasts.

The Moravians revived these communal meals, which can be traced to the first gathering of Christians after Pentecost, when early believers shared meals referred to as agape. Initially, these meals were part of the Watch Night experience and occurred on New Year’s Eve prior to the actual vigil service. Today, the incorporation of food remains a feature of many New Year’s religious observances, as churches often include a pre-service dinner or a post-service breakfast as part of their Watch Night traditions.

The preparation and consumption of the traditional New Year’s Day meal of pork, black-eyed peas, cabbage, rice, sweet potatoes, and cornbread—rooted in African cultural traditions and intentionally curated for their symbolic associations with prosperity, fertility, abundance, good health, and material wealth—may be understood as an extension of the Love Feast tradition, embodying communal nourishment, ritual continuity, and shared hope for renewal in the coming year.

Black Christians participated in Watch Night services prior to 1862.

Through Methodism:

Richard Allen and Absalom Jones both participated in Watch Night services as members and preachers at the aforementioned Old St. George’s Church in Philadelphia, a congregation where Black and white worshippers gathered together until the early 1790s. In 1792, following the church’s shift from inclusivity to racial segregation, Allen, Jones, and the black membership left (or rather were forced out). Allen later founded Mother Bethel AME Church in 1794 and the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1816, while Jones established the African Episcopal Church in 1794. Evidence suggests that the AME, AME Zion, and CME (Colored/Christian Methodist Episcopal) Churches retained the practice of Watch Night.

Probably through the Moravians, directly:

The Moravian missionary movement, which began in the eighteenth century, may have constituted the earliest introduction of Watch Night to African Americans, as Moravians were among the first Protestant groups to minister to enslaved Africans, particularly in the Caribbean. Craig D. Atwood, Director of Moravian Studies at Moravian Seminary, suggests that Watch Night services came to the United States as enslaved Africans were brought from the Caribbean.

And, possibly, through the Baptist movement:

It is probable that Black Baptist congregations observed Watch Night services or comparable New Year’s Eve gatherings, particularly given enslaved Africans’ familiarity with nighttime worship and the influence of Charles H. Spurgeon, a prominent Baptist preacher who began hosting Watch Night services in Central London on December 31, 1855. Like Wesley, Spurgeon was an instrumental figure whose influence extended well beyond his own denomination, facilitating the diffusion of Watch Night practices across Protestant communities.

Anna Lawrence, in One Family Under God: Love, Belonging, and Authority in Early Transatlantic Methodism, recounts the experience of James Meacham, who described awakening to the sound of enslaved Africans singing during a Watch Night service in July 1789—an encounter he characterized as profoundly moving.

December 31, 1862, known as Freedom’s Eve, transformed Watch Night into a distinctly black ritual/religious practice surrounding liberation, resistance, and community.

On that night, enslaved and free African Americans assembled in churches and gathering places across the United States with a new reason to “keep watch.” Following President Abraham Lincoln’s announcement on September 22, 1862, that the Emancipation Proclamation would take effect on January 1, 1863, these gatherings were marked by prayer, singing, shouting, and dancing as participants awaited the arrival of the new year and the promise of freedom. Although it would take years before many enslaved African Americans experienced freedom, Freedom’s Eve became a defining moment in Black religious life.

Watch Night in 1862 also shifted the liturgy of the service within the ecumenical black church context. While the services retained core Wesleyan components—such as prayer, preaching, and singing—the character of the observance changed significantly. For black worshippers, Watch Night became an interactive, high-energy, and spirited celebration of liberation rather than the introspective and contemplative service that had become common in white Methodist congregations once they begin to adopt racist practices.

Especially today, within black church contexts, Watch Night functions as an expansive, fully embodied, and communal gathering shaped by themes of survival, liberation, and expectancy. These services are characterized by spirited praise and worship, spontaneity, testimonies of endurance and deliverance, and sermons framed by gratitude for survival and hope for transformation—elements that reinforce Watch Night’s identity as a living tradition rooted in historical resilience and empowerment.

A full bibliography citing the information used in this post is available upon request.