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Traditional bell ringing | Bell ringers |
Eindhoven. Tuesday 10th September 2019 Past & Forward Conference
There is enough evidence that the sound of bells has had an important significance for communities throughout history. Not only for religious services but also for different civil reasons, people have been ringing these musical instruments to share their deepest feelings and shared emotions. As an acoustic and social symbol, bells had been subject to destruction, disappearance or compulsary silence. In many military conflicts, such as World War II, bells were silenced or even dropped down from the towers, wiping out their voice while people were being massacred.
When wars are over, new bells and carillons are cast, often as symbols of remembrance and peace. In 1954, the Dutch people, as a thankful gesture, donated a new carillon to the people of America as an act of gratitude for the liberation and economic aid after the war. Today, the carillon broadcasts a message of gratitude in Arlington (Washington).