One long-standing tradition of African-American churches occurs on December 31, as worshipers gather together between 7 and 10 p.m. for what is known as the Watch Night Service. The service goes on until midnight, when the New Year is welcomed in.

This tradition has two roots. The first root reaches back to the time before the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln in 1862. Slave owners looked over their business on the first day of the new year, tallying it up. Land, furnishings, and human property was then sold so that debts could be paid, and this meant family members and friends would be separated, perhaps never to see each other again on this earth. The slaves would come together to be with their loved ones for one more evening before being driven apart.

The other root can be traced back to gatherings of black churches on December 31, 1862, also known as Freedom's Eve. African-Americans met with each other in churches, homes, and other gathering places waiting for the good news that the Emancipation Proclamation had become law. When the clock struck midnight on January 1, 1863, every slave in the Confederacy was liberated.

Community leader and writer Charyn D. Sutton explains what happened next: "When the actual news of freedom was received later that day, there were prayers, shouts, and songs of joy as people fell to their knees and thanked God."