FOOTBALL AND THE MEMORIALIZATION OF THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE

Abstract

In this paper, we will analyze the memorialization of the historical event from WWI, known as the “Christmas truce”, in which soldiers of the opposing sides on the Western Front, on December 25, 1914, had put their weapons down and exchanged gifts with one another, sang Christmas carols and played a game of football. Football in particular is the facet of the informal truce that has been selected and highlighted as a symbol of peace and common humanity during the materialization of collective memory a hundred years later, which has defined this sport as a universal language that overcomes all cultural and temporal barriers. We will portray all seven monuments dedicated to this event, which were erected between 1999 and 2015 in Belgium, England and France, as well as significant commemorations held in memory of the event in 2014. Civic associations, schools, armies, football clubs and football associations have participated in the construction of monuments, and numerous ceremonies were often attended by senior state officials and eminent active and retired footballers. Media coverage of the centennial of the Christmas truce contributed to making the story known to the general public, and these monuments are now widely visited places of remembrance and popular tourist attractions, as evidenced by the large number of footballs that visitors leave by them. Through the interpretation of symbolism and ritual practice in marking the centennial, as well as the process of creation of the monuments and the revealing ceremonies, we will try to analyze the policy of building collective memory in the contemporary context and environment.