Advent Calendar 2020 Day 21: Christmas in 1914

Christmas Eve 1914

– Jenkins. Oakley. Knight.

– Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

‘Round yon virgin Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace.

– Jim? Jim! No, don’t do it!

– Halt!

– My name is Jim.

– My name is Otto.

– Pleased to meet you, Otto.

– Rose, she’s called.

– Happy Christmas.

Christmas is for sharing.

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The story behind the ad:

By December 1914 the Great War had raged for almost five months and claimed nearly one million lives. Letters and diaries from the Western Front describe how the guns fell silent on Christmas Eve.

“We were in the trenches on Christmas Eve and at about 8.30 the firing was almost at a standstill. In some parts, we put up Christmas trees with burning candles. The English greeted us with clapping and cheering.”

We heard a commotion in the German trenches and then they began to sing Silent Night.

After that, a mass exchange of things started in no man’s land between German and English soldiers.”

“As the day broke the enemy would be seen to bob up and down. And as the British didn’t fire they plucked up enough courage to get out of their trenches. I met their officer and we arranged a local armistice for 48 hours. As far as I can tell this effort of ours extended itself throughout the whole line. The soldiers on both sides met in their hundreds and exchanged greetings and gifts.”

“The Christmas truce wasn’t just one event, it was a whole series of events scattered along a fairly small area of the front line. But it certainly wasn’t continuous. Some soldiers died on Christmas Day 1914. They got out of the trench thinking there was a truce and they were shot by Germans who didn’t want a truce. So it was a very courageous thing for them to do.”

“It was an experience of a lifetime I should think. And one very rare.”

“And then we started exchanging everything that we were carrying. Tobacco, chocolate, schnapps, shoulder badges, and many other things. It was a charming sight.”

“During the day we had football matches with a new ball sent by some kind friends.”

“We may never know what really happened. We can’t be 100 percent sure that there was a football match between the Germans and the Allies. There probably was, almost certainly was. What matters is the message that whole event carries, which is you know that even in the toughest of times in the heat of war and in the most dreadful occasions there can be great humanity. „

“The Christmas truce certainly happened. Who knows all the details behind it. But it’s a really good way for people to start to understand the First World War and humanity. Not just the scale and destruction but also all those moments of charity and support and human contact that easily get lost otherwise. It’s a great hope for future peace when two great nations hating each other as foes have seldom hated should on Christmas Day and for all, that word implies lay down their arms, exchange smokes, and wish each other happiness.”

Volt néhány német szó, kifejezés a videóban. Biztosan össze tudod párosítani az angol jelentésével, még ha nem is tudsz jól németül!

Key

1. d.
2. a.
3. g.
4. b.
5. f.
6. c.
7. h.
8. e.