By Tamara Shiloh

Early accounts from white Southerners describe Christmas as a day of kindness and generosity. But the reality of what took place on December 25 during slavery was complex and, in many cases, dangerous.

In Wilmington, N.C., slaves celebrated ‘Jonkonnu’ a contraction of the name John Kunering. Dressed in costumes, the enslaved people went from house to house singing, dancing, and beating rhythms with rib bones, cow horns, and triangles. A gift was expected at every stop. Not all of Wilmington’s whites appreciated the festivities.

Some enslaved people could rest on the holiday; others were forced to work. Many owners hosted social events requiring the work of house slaves. In parts of the country, slaves were given a yule log to burn in the big house. They were granted rest for the same amount of time the log burned, often until New Year’s Day.

More trusted slaves were granted travel privileges to visit family. Gifts from owners were received including leftover food from plantation events. Slaves were given wine and alcoholic beverages for consumption, but according to a theory held by Frederick Douglass, it was not for holiday cheer.

The effects of alcohol were unknown to many slaves, leading most to overindulge. The drunken state would beckon sleep, halting runaways. Some masters traveled to nearby plantations to visit family; even slave catchers wanted time off. Thus, alcohol served as a method to keep the enslaved “in their places” as Christmas was known as the best time to escape to freedom.

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A method used to gather slaves and convince them that bondage was their best option for living “peacefully and safely among the masters” was the showering of gifts. But not all slaves partook in the holiday’s so-called pleasures.

According to Robert E. May, a Purdue University professor of history, slaveowners’ fears of rebellion during the season sometimes led to “preemptive shows of harsh discipline. Their buying and selling of workers didn’t abate during the holidays. Nor did their annual hiring out of enslaved workers, some of whom would be shipped off, away from their families, on New Year’s Day.” This became known as heartbreak day.

In “A Slave’s Adventures Toward Freedom Not a Fiction, but the True Story of a Struggle” written by author Peter Bruner in 1918 recalled a personal Christmastime experience involving his owner: “… he was returning from town and so I thought I would catch his Christmas gift; it was always customary in those days to catch peoples Christmas gifts and they would give you something. Instead of giving me the kind of Christmas present I desired, he took me and threw me in the tan vat and nearly drowned me. Every time I made an attempt to get out, he would kick me back in again until I was almost dead. At last, I came up on the other side and jumped out before he was able to get around there.”

For some, traditions of Christmas were tools for celebration. For others, it was harsh treatment. Overall, most held long memories of the season and relished the moments of respite.

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