Funeral toll
Church bells are sometimes rung slowly (tolled) when a person dies or at funeral services.
Church bells are rung in three basic ways: normal (peal) ringing, chiming, or tolling. Normal ringing refers to the ringing of a bell or bells at a rate of about one ring per second or more, often in pairs reflecting the traditional "ding-dong" sound of a bell which is rotated back and forth, ringing once in each direction.[citation needed]
"Chiming" a bell refers to a single ring, used to mark the naming of a person when they are baptized, confirmed, or at other times. Many Lutheran churches chime the bell three times as the congregation recites the Lord's Prayer: once at the beginning, once near the middle, and once at the "Amen".[citation needed]
Customs vary regarding when and for how long the bell tolls at a funeral. One custom observed in some liturgical churches is to toll the bell once for each year of the decedent's life.[citation needed] Another way to tell the age of the deceased is by tolling the bell in a pattern. For example if the deceased was 75 years old, the bell is tolled seven times for 70, and then after a pause it is tolled five more times for five.[citation needed]
See also
References
- Stahlschmidt J.C.L: The Church Bells of Kent: Their inscriptions, founders, uses and traditions, p126. Elliot Stock, 1887
- The Church Bells of Kent
- Bells and Mourning