Day 8 – Today, wear jingle bells. Wear just one to show a little spirit and lots to show a TON of Christmas spirit.
I love bells, especially little tinkling ones. I wear them on my Santa hat. I wear them on bracelets. My cats wear them. They make a pleasant sound that makes me happy.
Researching the history of bells was interesting. Almost all the websites about bells talk about the history of church bells, the carillons that hang in bell towers. Starting around 400 AD, these bells were used to announce church services or warn of storms or invasions. I was more interested in smaller bells.
For that, I had to go back about 3,000 years to China. Their much smaller bells fit in their hands or hung in a row from a rod of bamboo, and they played them as musical instruments.
While the sound of small bells is appealing, large bells work better for spreading information. They can be tuned to sound melodious, but more importantly, the sound coming from a bell tower can be heard up to six miles away, thus making it an essential part of a community.
There were bells in towers before Christian churches, Romans used them as emergency warnings. It’s easy to imagine these bells ringing when a new emperor was born, or crowned since it was an important and urgent announcement. From there, bells could be used for joyful occasions, and they became standard in churches.
The next time you hear a cotillon ringing, remember that it is giving the same message it has been offering for eons. “Listen up! Something important is happening.”
You can celebrate Christmas by wearing small bells. That fun, tinkling sound will bring a smile to everyone around you. And if you are a fan of It’s a Wonderful Life, an angel will get its wings.