America’s oldest Easter sunrise tradition still draws thousands to a colonial cemetery

Old Salem’s 252-Year Moravian Easter Dawn Tradition

Every Easter since 1772, brass bands have filled Old Salem’s streets at 2 a. m. with what locals call “18th century surround sound.” The tradition began in Germany when young Moravian men sang hymns at dawn in 1732.

When these settlers built Salem, North Carolina, they quickly set up God’s Acre cemetery, burying John Birkhead there in 1771. Soon after, they held their first sunrise service.

Today, over 500 musicians from 13 churches play through the night before thousands walk in silence to the cemetery at dawn.

The service grew so famous that radio station WSJS first broadcast it in 1930, just days after going on air. The story behind America’s oldest Easter sunrise service awaits at Old Salem Historic District.

German Bachelors Started It All With Morning Hymns

In Easter 1732, a group of single Moravian men got together before dawn in Herrnhut’s cemetery to sing hymns about Christ’s resurrection.

The next year, the whole church joined the early morning cemetery service, starting a tradition that spread worldwide.

The Moravian Church came from followers of Jan Hus in 15th century Bohemia. Count Zinzendorf gave shelter to Moravians on his land in Saxony, where they built Herrnhut in 1722.

The Easter sunrise service became a key part of Moravian worship, with the cemetery called “God’s Acre” where believers wait for resurrection.

Moravians Brought Their Faith To American Soil

Moravian missionaries came to North America in 1735, first settling in Georgia before moving to Pennsylvania where they built Bethlehem in 1741.

By 1753, Moravians bought nearly 100,000 acres in North Carolina, calling the land Wachovia after Zinzendorf’s Austrian estate.

Bishop Spangenberg led the first survey team, setting up Bethabara in 1753.

On January 6, 1766, Moravian leaders decided to create Salem as the main town of Wachovia. They planned the community with spots picked for the church, square, and cemetery before building anything.

They Picked The Perfect Spot For Their Sacred Ground

On April 21, 1766, Moravians chose the site for Salem’s God’s Acre cemetery on high ground north of the town square.

They picked this spot for its stand-out location and peaceful setting, visible from the main square but away from daily business. Workers laid out the avenue next to the cemetery in 1770, setting the boundaries of God’s Acre.

The cemetery followed strict Moravian rules: flat headstones in rows, with burials sorted by “choir” (life stage) rather than family. All headstones were the same white marble laid flat, showing everyone is equal in death.

John Birkhead Became The First To Rest In Salem’s God’s Acre

John Birkhead became the first person buried in Salem’s God’s Acre on June 7, 1771.

The first Easter sunrise service in Salem happened in 1772, bringing the Herrnhut tradition to North Carolina.

The 1772 service created the format still used today: pre-dawn gathering, walking to the cemetery, and sunrise hymns.

Brass instruments played with the singing, as music was always key in Moravian worship. The service took place in German, as Salem stayed mostly German-speaking for decades after it began.

Wars And Changes Couldn’t Stop The Easter Tradition

The Easter sunrise service continued yearly through the Revolutionary War, even as Salem stayed neutral during the fighting.

Salem’s brass bands grew larger and better throughout the 1800s, with music training seen as basic education for Moravian children.

Musicians playing from 2 a.m. onward became a tradition over time, with groups moving through Salem’s streets as the town grew.

English slowly replaced German in services during the mid-1800s as Salem’s mix of people changed. By 1900, the Easter service drew not just Moravians but curious visitors from nearby towns.

Cars Brought More People To The Historic Service

Winston and Salem joined together in 1913, but the Easter service kept its old location at the original Salem square and God’s Acre.

Cars started bringing visitors from farther away in the 1920s, greatly growing the crowds. The brass band tradition expanded with musicians from many Moravian churches playing together.

Local newspapers began covering the event every year, spreading word beyond the Moravian community. By the late 1920s, several thousand people showed up regularly, creating crowd problems in the historic area.

Three Days After Going On Air, WSJS Broadcast The Service

Radio station WSJS turned on its transmitters on April 17, 1930, becoming Winston-Salem’s first radio station.

Just three days later, on Easter Sunday April 20, 1930, WSJS broadcast Salem’s Easter sunrise service for the first time.

The broadcast let homebound, elderly, and distant people take part in the centuries-old tradition.

Radio staff carefully placed equipment to capture both the brass music and group hymns without disrupting the sacred mood.

The 1930 broadcast started what would grow into one of America’s longest-running yearly radio religious broadcasts.

Soldiers Worldwide Heard The Familiar Hymns During WWII

CBS Radio Network started carrying parts of the Salem Easter service across the country within a few years of the first 1930 broadcast.

The national broadcast introduced millions of Americans to Moravian musical traditions and the unique God’s Acre ceremony. During World War II, Armed Forces Radio sent the service to American troops around the world.

Soldiers far from home wrote letters about how hearing the familiar hymns and brass music connected them to American Easter traditions.

Winston-Salem got the nickname “Easter City” by the mid-1940s because of the service’s radio fame.

Hundreds Of Musicians Create “18th Century Surround Sound”

Today, over 500 brass musicians from 13 Moravian churches meet at Home Moravian Church at 2 a.m.

They split into smaller bands that spread throughout Old Salem, playing traditional Moravian hymns.

The bands set up at key spots, creating what the Moravian Music Foundation director calls “18th century surround sound.”

People hear the brass music echoing through Salem’s streets for hours before dawn.

The bands keep playing until coming together at 6 a.m. for the main service, creating a long musical worship experience.

Thousands Walk In Silence To Greet The Rising Sun

At 6 a.m., thousands gather at Home Moravian Church in Salem Square before walking quietly to God’s Acre. Six brass choirs stand at different corners of the cemetery, playing back and forth as the sun rises.

The cemetery’s layout by “choirs” (married men, married women, single men, single women, children) rather than families remains visible in how the headstones sit.

All graves have matching white marble headstones laid flat, continuing the 250-year-old tradition of showing equality in death.

The service mixes scripture readings, group hymns, and brass music, keeping the 1732 Herrnhut service structure.

A Quarter Millennium Of Sunrise Celebrations

The 1972 service marked 200 years of continuous Easter sunrise services in Salem, celebrated with special recognition of the tradition’s long history.

In 2022, the service celebrated its 250th anniversary, recognized as America’s longest-running consecutive Easter sunrise service.

Modern attendance regularly reaches 10,000-15,000 people, requiring lots of coordination between Old Salem Museums & Gardens and Moravian churches.

The service continues to be broadcast on local radio and is now also livestreamed online, extending the tradition’s reach globally.

Despite Salem’s change from isolated Moravian town to urban neighborhood, the Easter sunrise service keeps its 18th-century character and spiritual significance.

Visiting Old Salem Historic District, North Carolina

You can experience America’s oldest Easter sunrise service at Old Salem Historic District in Winston-Salem. The Moravian tradition started in 1772 at God’s Acre cemetery, which is free and open daily at 529 S.

Church Street. The Easter service begins 6:15am at Salem Square with brass bands playing from 2am until dawn.

Visit the historic district Wednesday-Saturday 10am-4pm with All-In-One tickets for $30 adults at 900 Old Salem Road.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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