At the end of November 1900, an amazing hailstorm fell in Alexandria Bay, New York. Almost every hailstone could be seen ... human eyes!
According to legend, the ringing of bells has a special magical power. Unclean spirits are afraid of bells and, having heard their ringing, fly away as far as possible. They hate bell music because it comes from sacred objects, and also because it disturbs the atmosphere in which they lead their incorporeal existence.
Having heard the ringing of the bell, the evil spirit flies as far as possible, otherwise the ringing will embrace them with its sounds, like waves, and turn them in a terrible whirlwind, like a light boat in a whirlpool.

The first blow of the bell leads the evil spirits to a stupor, at the second blow it rushes in confusion in all directions, and at the third all the demonic power, if it does not have time to escape, falls into the underworld.

It is in connection with this that it is customary, upon hearing the church Annunciation, to raise your head up at the first blow of the bell during the Blagovest, to cross yourself after the second blow, and to bow after the third.

Since in ancient times it was believed that diseases were caused by demons, church bells were often rung during epidemics. In the XVI and XVII centuries with the advent of the plague, the bells rang either slowly and measuredly, or often and with chimes. This was done according to the prescription of the then doctors - not for reasons related to religion or superstition, but because they believed that a loud sound disperses heavy, contaminated air, which was considered one of the causes of the disease.

Recognizing the healing power behind the bell ringing, the peasants in the past treated dead growths on the body in this way: during the bell ringing, they took a bone to the cemetery and rubbed the growth with it until the end of the bell ringing. Those suffering from deafness went to the bell tower and, bending under the big bell, listened to the bell ringing.

"Klikush, sick with a fever, were placed under the bell during the ringing in order to expel demons from their body. And when a person's tongue was taken away, they poured water over the bell tongue and gave it to the patient."

Church bells were sometimes rung to help women in labor during difficult births. The sebaceous plaque removed from the bell was used as an ointment, as people believed that it had healing properties. Even at the beginning of the twentieth century, it was used against ringworm and herpes zoster and other skin diseases.

It is believed that if at the very beginning of the ringing you leave the house, enter it or finish some business, this is a harbinger of good.

"According to popular belief, the vegetation on the earth in the spring only begins to really go when the first thunder strikes. It is not surprising that the ringing of bells in folk beliefs is quite closely related to the harvest. In Russia, for example, they believe that the one who succeeds on Christ's day, be the first to climb the bell tower and ring, he will have a good harvest this year."

Bell ringing has a close connection in folk beliefs with the dead. It was believed that the ringing of bells had the ability to awaken the dead from their deep sleep. People also believed that as soon as the bell was struck at midnight, the dead would rise from their graves and go to the river to drink.

In general, churches, chapels and bell towers at night served as a refuge for ghouls, the living dead and devils, disappearing with the first cock crow. For example, an unclean spirit that inhabited the body of a dead sorcerer, from those who were not accepted by the earth after death, constantly lived in the bell tower. And if at midnight a daredevil climbed there, then without any problems he could see the bell spirit sitting in the corner, in a white cap. If you tear off the cap from him, you will toil all your life: every night the dead bell man will walk under the windows, asking you to put on a cap, and if you put it on, he will immediately strangle him.

“To this day, there is a widespread belief that a donation for a new bell can best alleviate the fate of a sinful soul in the afterlife, because how many people will strike the bell at Mass or at Matins, how many Christian souls will cross themselves and lift up a prayer to God. soul, whose bell, from time to time it will be easier ... "

Church bells were often rung during a thunderstorm: to ward off thunder and lightning and protect all those who heard the ringing from material and spiritual threats. In various parts of Europe, bells are still rung during hail to protect crops.

It is believed that the bell is an animated being. Many legends claim that church bells live and think. In the presence of a saint, or when a crime is committed nearby, they call themselves.

In the days of sailing, the ship's bell was considered, in a sense, the embodiment of the soul of the ship. The sailors believed that he calls himself at the moment when the wrecked ship is sinking.

A strange hum, sometimes emitted by the bell when no one is touching it, is considered a sure sign that someone will die in the parish before the end of the week.

Ordinary bells, like church bells, are also surrounded by superstition. Ringing on their own, they portend misfortune, and if two bells in the house ring at the same time, this is to separation.

To see a bell in a dream means strength and power, to see it without a tongue means powerlessness and weakness. Just to hear the ringing of bells in a dream - empty and false rumors, quarrel, contention are coming. To ring the bells means to have a verbal squabble or a lawsuit with someone in the near future ...
Author: Svetlana NIKIFOROVA

Orthodox holiday, which is celebrated on Monday, immediately after. According to folk signs, on this day the earth is a birthday girl, so plowing, digging, harrowing is strictly prohibited. On this day, people hang a symbol of the Holy Spirit - wooden doves - from the goddesses. The Orthodox sincerely believe that on the evening of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit descends to the earth, spilling over the fields, delighting every blade of grass and blade of grass, and on the day of the Spirits it is useful to walk barefoot on the ground. In some regions, on this day, people go around the fields in a religious procession.

In general, the church on this day honors the Most Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, which is consubstantial with the Father and the Son of the Lord. The Holy Spirit enriches and adorns a person, fills his soul with love, joy, goodness, faith and patience. This is the Comforter that Jesus Christ promised his disciples shortly before his ascension to the cross. And on the first day after Pentecost, the Holy Spirit really descended from heaven on the apostles. And Orthodoxy began to spread throughout the earth.

Spirits day - holy great holiday
On this day, the whole earth rejoices.
The Holy Spirit walks over the fields
Each stem is carefully stored.

On this bright holiday I wish you
Light, pure, sincere love
May God protect you from troubles
May the Holy Spirit bless you.

Be honest, love your neighbor
Respect the earth every day.
Save each petal,
May God accompany you everywhere.

There is a folk saying:
Spirits day - the beginning of summer!
The cold recedes.
Hello warm weather.

Evil spirits disappear -
People collect herbs.
The holiday knows its turn -
Followed by the trinity!

On Spirits Day, I sincerely congratulate you and from the bottom of my heart I want to wish light and warmth in the house, joy and happiness in the soul, mercy and love in the heart, kind people and good luck on the way. May thoughts and deeds be righteous, may heaven give grace, strong faith and unquenchable hope.

May the Spirits day come with good,
With sincere and pure love,
With sincere joy, with warmth,
With a sunny, radiant smile!

I want to believe, live, dream,
Appreciating bright moments
And, of course, read
Our Holy Spirit day by day!

Spirits day today is bright,
We hasten to congratulate you.
Wish you good and light
We want you prosperity.

May the Holy Spirit help you
All adversity to conquer.
Happiness will gladly fold you
And help you get it.

To happiness and luck
They certainly went with you.
Be at your best on the building.
Light to you, kindness, love.

Everyone knows that God is triune:
Holy Spirit, God the Father and God the Son.
He watches over us from heaven
And in all good thoughts with us.

The Holy Spirit will save us from pain and troubles;
Those who truly believe will come to the rescue;
It will bring hope and joy
And heal a severe wound.

May the name of the Lord be glorified forever!
And faith in our lives is forever.
May the Holy Spirit be with us forever
Illuminating everything around.

Birthday girl land
The day meets spirits,
run barefoot
Invites to the field.

Feet bare with dew
Wash clean,
Both a blade of grass and a flower
They speak to you.

Fills the spirits of the day
Souls of pure light
Melting bell ringing
In the blue of dawn.

God's Life-Giving Spirit
hugs the earth,
Happiness, joy I give you
I wish you a day of Spirits.

Let the day bring spirits to everyone
A lot of happiness and prosperity!
May the Lord protect you from troubles,
So that everything is always in order!

Let every minute give
All blessings from heaven!
May the soul always believe in a miracle,
After all, it is so boring for us to live without miracles!

Praise the spirits today,
I wish you happiness
Let your prayer fly
Up to blissful skies.

Let the Spirit be Life-Giving
Always gives you strength
Faith will be unbreakable
Years pass in joy.

Today is the birthday girl - the earth,
It is impossible to dig, plow and harrow,
And it's better for you to walk in the fields on foot,
Run barefoot on the blades of grass!

The Holy Spirit descends to earth,
He pleases our dear people,
Walking along the paths of grass!
So become very happy and you!

On Spirits Day I congratulate you,
Let him not leave you
Inspires to accomplishments
Touches the light with a kind eye.

Holy Spirit Life-Giving
May it bring healing
I wish you strong faith
Understanding and patience.

Congratulations: 43 in verse, 5 in prose.

Everything about religion and faith - "bell ringing prayer" with a detailed description and photographs.

bell ringing is an important part of church worship. He announces the beginning of the service and invites the faithful to the temple. The ringing of the bell expresses the festive solemnity of the most important places of worship. On great holidays and Sundays, he expresses the spiritual joy of the faithful.

The church charter distinguishes four types of ringing:

• blagovest - measured blows to the largest bell, which is called the evangelist;
• chime when all the bells are struck in turn;
• the ringing itself, when all the bells are rung or only a few;
• a chime when they strike in three stages at several bells or at all bells (in all seriousness).

Bell ringing is festive and everyday. The festive ringing calls for an all-night vigil and liturgy. He reminds the faithful of the Divine service and calls to the temple to prayer: Proclaim from day to day His salvation (our God)(Ps 95:2). First, two strikes are heard on the largest bell - the evangelist. After the sound from the second blow subsides, the ringer begins to make measured blows. During the gospel, he must read the 50th psalm twelve times or once the 118th psalm (Immaculate).

Then the ringing starts.

To the all-night trezvon occurs in two steps, and to the liturgy - in three, that is, three times with some intervals in time.

Again, the bell ringing during the liturgy is heard at the beginning of the Eucharistic canon - the most solemn part of the service. At this time, the Bloodless Sacrifice is offered at the altar. The Mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ is performed. After the exclamation: “We thank the Lord!” - the choir sings: "It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible." The blows to the evangelist begin. The bell-ringer must make twelve strokes on the festive bell - according to the number of the apostles at the Lord's Last Supper. It is necessary to finish the ringing by the end of the reading of the Eucharistic canon - to the exclamation: "Fairly about the Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary."

In church practice, the ringing is also performed at the end of the all-night and festive liturgy, although the Typicon does not establish this. The festive chime at the end of the service is in tune with the joy that fills the hearts of believers on the day of the holiday.

Every day during the entire Bright (Paschal) week, a chime is due: from the end of the Liturgy to Vespers.

During all religious processions, a chime is required.

Orthodox icons and prayers

Information site about icons, prayers, Orthodox traditions.

Purification (healing) by bell ringing, what are the varieties and types

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Orthodox bell ringing is a prayer imprinted in sound. Beauty, which is endowed with unusually great power, because it gives a person healing, heals not only the body, but also the soul. This music revives love in the heart, envelops with calmness and creates harmony.

Bell Cleansing

The ringing of bells has tremendous power, which saturates the space around with the positive energy of goodness and love, and purifies it. The sound wave of the bell ringing propagates in the air in the form of a cross, therefore the ringing has such an effect on the human condition, both physical and mental:

• the incidence decreases: pathogenic bacteria die and do not multiply further;
• the psycho-emotional background stabilizes: peace and tranquility sets in.

The enormous effect of bell ringing for the treatment of various diseases has been proven by numerous examples and facts. The most common among these conditions of the human body are:

• stress, nervousness, insomnia;
• vascular disease;
• depression, mental disorders;
• hypertension, diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
• stomach ulcer;
• bronchial asthma;
• acute pain of various origins;
• infectious and respiratory diseases;
• low immunity;
• female diseases;
• kidney disease;
• intestinal and biliary diseases;
• hearing loss.

But it is also necessary to remember that the ringing of bells will have the desired effect if you listen to it correctly, namely:

• only on high-quality media;
• it is advisable not to use headphones;
• if it draws you into sleep, do not resist;
• before listening, read “Our Father”, during - Psalm 50, at the end - “It is worthy to eat”;
• at least once a year (if possible) listen to a live bell ringing.

The positive impact of ringing on a person and the world around him is possible only when it does not cause irritation. It should also be remembered that a sound therapy session directly under a living bell should not exceed 15-20 minutes.

The bell ringing of the monasteries is a kind of energy generator, which is transformed into sound. At the same time, it is very important that the sound more often sound in a live form, and not in a recorded one, because this way the spectrum of its propagation is disturbed. Under this condition, the effect increases several times. And the very environment in which a person hears a ringing is conducive to its correct perception - through the church, through righteous faith, through God.

For cleaning the house

Church bells are also able to purify the home. After all, everyone has their own energy. And this does not depend on good repair or beautiful furniture. The spiritual atmosphere is what is important in this case. And if it is broken, then the people who live in it can often get sick, quarrel for no reason, suffer from mental disorders and depression. Therefore, one should try to maintain not only the physical condition of the house (keep clean and tidy), but also the spiritual, achieving peace and harmony.

You can use bell ringing to cleanse your home in the following ways:

• hang a bell at the entrance (symbol);
• periodically “ring” the corners;
• put on audio recordings of church bells ringing.

And, of course, the fact of finding a house next to an Orthodox church would be a great option. Then protection, positive energy and harmony will become faithful companions of its inhabitants.

What are the bells

With love for church bells, the Orthodox people combined all their life events, both solemn and sad. Therefore, it serves not only as a measure of church time, but also as an expression of the state of mind of an Orthodox person. This was the reason for the emergence of various types of ringing, each of which has its own specific name and semantic purpose.

What are the bells and their names:

Blagovest, in turn, is divided into two more:

Actually, the ringing can also be of several types:

What are the types of bells

Blagovest is the most important bell ringing for every Orthodox Christian. These are measured blows to one big bell. With the help of it, believers are summoned to the temple for worship. And its name comes from the fact that they proclaim the good news - the beginning of the ministry.

The procedure for making a blessing:

• three beats (rare, slow, lingering);
• measured blows.

Actually ringing is the sounding of all or several bells at once.

What are the types of blessing

As you know, the blessing is of two types:

• ordinary or frequent - produces the largest bell;
• lenten or rare - performed by a smaller bell on the days of Great Lent.

The sound of bells is divided into the following types:

• chime - ringing all the bells, then a short break, then the second and third chimes in the same way, also with a short break. In other words, ringing in three steps. It is an expression of Christian joy and triumph;
• double ringing - ringing all the bells in two steps;
• chime - ringing each bell in turn, from the largest to the smallest, and so on several times;
• enumeration - a slow ringing of each bell one at a time, from the smallest to the largest, after which a blow to all the bells at once, and so on many times.

If there are several large bells at the temple, then, according to their purpose, they differ in the following:

Usually in parish churches there are no more than two or three large bells. A larger number happens at cathedrals, monasteries, laurels.

What bell ringing is healing

Each bell ringing has its own healing abilities and properties. And the expected effect depends on how much a person believes in their power and listens to the voice of the Lord, for it is in them that the true purpose of church music is.

Bell ringing is healing and all-forgiving. In it is the melody of the spirituality of the Orthodox people, the basis of which is the inexhaustible faith and eternal grace of God, which leads along the path of life and grants salvation.

The Lord is always with you!

In this video you will hear the cleansing ringing of bells:

PRAYERS UNDER THE RINGING OF BELLS.

It has long been known that the ringing of bells destroys any negative program and in some cases kills (or at least significantly weakens) the action of pathogenic bacteria.

This occult effect increases several times if at this time one prays before an icon, especially before the image of the Mother of God, the most merciful and compassionate among the rest.

Prayers in this case should be short, capacious in order to have time to say them three times during the bell ringing.

PRAYER FOR A POSITIVE CHANGE OF DESTINY:

« Mother of God, Blessed Virgin Mary. You see everything, you know everything, you understand everything. I beg you, I beg you, Lady of Heaven, remove from my life thorns, resentment, spiritual devastation, sorrows and grief, constantly accompanying me (your full name). I repent of the sins that I have committed (a), from now on I undertake to live in a righteous way, in a divine way, in a human way. Amen, amen, amen."

During the pronunciation of this prayer, at your own discretion (you will somehow understand exactly where), make the sign of the cross three times, but not at the end.

PRAYER FOR HEALING:

"ABOUT Holy Mother of God, protect and protect me, (your name), from painful diseases, sick ailments, sad sadness, mournful sorrow. I pray and hope for Your mercy and compassion. Let me become healthy again (oh) and cheerful (oh). In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

PRAYER FROM DAMAGE. THE EVIL EYE. CURSE.

Light two candles. Hold one in your left hand, the other in your right. The text is read in a whisper, from time to time making the sign of the cross with a lit candle (if it goes out, then this is a bad sign and damage should be removed in a different way).

“In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I, (my full name), prayerful (s), baptized (s), God (s), spoiled (s) with an evil eye, black libel, cursing word, I ask, Heavenly Queen, intercede for me, free me from witchcraft, evil witchcraft, human envy, superficial devilry. My word is sad, my soul is desperate, forgive me, (your name), an ignoramus, my only hope is in you. Amen".

Then put a candle in the candlestick from the left hand, then from the right.

And the last thing: you should go to church in an absolutely sober state.

Orthodox prayers

Orthodox prayers, church hymns, prayers (listen to download). History of the Greek Church. Lives of the Holy Elders

Orthodox bell ringing

From time immemorial, Russian people have treated the bell ringing reverently, remembering the divine origin of its sound. No wonder the voice of the bell, announcing the reading of the Gospel, is called the gospel. He, like a voice from heaven, frames the entire church service. Measured blows to the largest bell begin and end Divine Liturgy. Bell ringing makes a person involved in temple activities even when he is outside the walls of the church (cathedral, temple). The bell calls for prayer and action, forcing you to forget about everyday worries, problems, troubles at least for a moment and remember God.

Orthodox ringing has always been based on rigor and simplicity, but no one forbids being creative within the framework of existing canons (the ringer is himself a composer, performer, and improviser). Its task is to set off the ringing in such a way that today “show”, for example, the Assumption, and tomorrow the Nativity of the Virgin (with the help of different strength of beats, tempo and rhythm, convey peace and sorrow, jubilation and anxiety). But the first thing the bell ringer should remember when standing on the bell tower is that he is the link between the temple and Heaven, and that church bells are an equivalent temple rite (after all, Divine services begin and end with it).

Bells. Miracle of Healing - Golden Apple

Traditionally developed special types ringing: blagovest, wired (funeral) ringing, everyday, wedding (accelerating), counter and, finally, festive chimes, among which there are great, medium, red and a special form - trezvon. Trezvon is the most difficult to perform, but the brightest musically. It consists of 3 parts connected into a single whole (and its very name comes from the merger of the phrase “three bells”). The red ringing of all bells (“in all seriousness”) strikes with its power and beauty on Great holidays. Ringers have such a concept - euphony. The bells for the belfries were always selected in such a way that all together they formed a harmonious “ringing-choir”. If any bell was dissonant with the rest, falling out of the general system, it received the apt nickname “ram”, “dissolute” and, as a rule, was excluded from ringing. For belfries, 3 groups of bells are usually selected: large - evangelists, medium - ringing and small - ringing bells. As for the sound and tone of the bells, it depends on their weight, shape and casting quality: 100 identical bells cast in the same production will sound differently (both the pouring temperature and how the metal cools down).

Festive bell ringing

Orthodox bell ringing is divided into three main types:

2) chime, bust;

3) Actually ringing.

Blagovest is measured blows to one big bell. This ringing announces to believers the good news about the beginning of Divine services in the temple. Blagovest is festive, everyday and Lenten.

A chime is a sorting of bells from the largest bell to the smallest (or vice versa) with a different number of strokes for each bell. There are two main chimes: funeral and water blessing.

The ringing itself is a characteristic rhythmic ringing using all the main groups of the bell scale. The bells of this group include: holiday bells (trezvon, dvuzvon), everyday bells, as well as bells composed by the bell ringer himself (the latter are the result of the bell ringer's creative work and self-expression).

The fate of bells, like people, is different. There are also long-livers among them (for example, the still functioning Nikonovsky bell, born in 1420, from the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra).

Before being installed on the belfry, a rite of consecration is always performed above the bell: they sprinkle holy water on the outside and inside and read prayers. Blessed and created by true masters of their craft, the bell will surely live for a long time and overshadow people with a “sounding” cross - moving both horizontally and vertically in surround sound.

In Rus', the bell has become a symbol of statehood and at the same time a broad Russian soul (probably, some “strings” of the Russian soul are adequately reflected in the bell ringing). It is interesting that Russian bells are fundamentally different, for example, from Dutch ones (in particular, Malinsky ones). Malin is a Dutch city in which bells, famous for their euphony, were poured (hence the raspberry chimes came from). Dutch bells have a more precise, toned (like a string) sound. The Russian bell, in turn, takes the entire chord (which is why a very wide range of sounds is obtained in one stroke of the Russian bell).

Church bells are not for concerts! It has been like this for a long time: bells are a spiritual witness to the whole world, a symbol in bronze, and their ringing is a symbol in sound. It is not for nothing that bell ringing is called “the voice of the Church”, and this voice calls for spiritual Rebirth and Repentance. And it is not good for church bells to idly broadcast from the bell towers (bell ringers do not even have the right to rehearse in the bell tower, to ring after hours or for the amusement of the public). Bells ringing is performed only according to church canons: at a certain hour, in a certain way. But there is one week in the year when (not simultaneously with church service) is allowed to call enough, to the delight of the whole world. This is Paschal Bright Week. It should be remembered that the church bell is a shrine that must always be protected and honored. Ringing is an adornment of a temple (cathedral, church), and may it always be magnificent!

Bell ringing of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

Hear the Healing Bells!

2 ideas on “Orthodox Bell Ringing”

I wonder how the ringer can rehearse his art, probably in monasteries and seminaries they teach this?

I love ringing bells! It is a pity that there is no audio on your site to listen to. Thank you very much for new interesting chants in audio rubles.

The wonders of the bell

As they said before, bells make the sinner's soul tremble and bring joy to the believer, it is very good to listen to the bell ringing for cleansing the house, it sanctifies the dwelling and removes all kinds of viruses and microbes. And modern man, unfortunately, hears the music of bells less and less. Their ringing drowns out the noise of big cities. But just a hundred years ago, church bell ringers, by striking the bells, announced the beginning of worship and the reading of important prayers to those who could not be present in the church, brought joyful and sad news, performed wedding chimes, saved from epidemics, gave joy to a new family. and well-being.

Listen to the Easter chime in the Valaam Monastery - just a balm for the soul and purification!

The healing power of bells for the body

The sad thing is that the number of churches has significantly decreased over the last century, so the legends about the uniqueness and great significance of these tools for humans go back to the depths of centuries. Few people already remember the healing properties of bell ringing, but this amazing sound has a detrimental effect on influenza, jaundice, plague and smallpox viruses, and anthrax spores. And all this, by the way, has been proven by scientists!

If Petri dishes are placed under six-octave bells, then sterilization will occur during the ringing: the proteins will coagulate in the cells, cease into crystalline structures, and become safe for humans. It is interesting that each type of virus dies only in its specific sound range (F.Ya.Shipunov, Academician of the Institute of the Biosphere of the Russian Academy of Sciences).

In the old days, craftsmen knew how to sound the bells to cope with this or that epidemic and cast them using a special technology. In one of the cities of Switzerland there is a monument to the bell that saved people from the plague.

In Rus', they knew that the ringing of bells would cure a headache, and remove the pain in the hands, if a person himself would ring the bells, and if you hit them over a seriously ill person, he would quickly recover. Grease from the bells was carefully collected and used for medicinal purposes. These facts have received scientific confirmation: the sound of this instrument has a positive effect on the human energy system, entering into resonance with it and significantly improving its condition.

And again, this is now scientifically confirmed - the miracles of bell ringing exist, scientists have conducted studies that have confirmed that bell ringing is able to cleanse the surrounding space of all evil spirits and harmful formations. And among the people in the old days, with any epidemic, attacks by enemies and other problems, they rang bells around the clock until the attack left people. The same academician Shipunov with his group of scientists found out and approved - the bell ringing emits ultrasonic vibrations that destroy any pathogenic environment.

The beneficial effect of bell ringing on humanity is also known in our history. For example, when a desperate person who decided to "lay hands on himself" heard the gospel at that very moment, he remembered God, began to pray fervently, and this saved his life. And two old blockade women said: in order not to die of hunger, they listened to the bell ringing and prayed. Only the two of the entire population of the eight-story building survived.

And this also has scientific confirmation - a set of certain sounds, called the dominant seventh chord, is able to nourish a person who, listening to him, practically does not feel the need for food.

The bell ringing of the Svyatogorsk Lavra is music for the soul!!

Scientific confirmation

• In the last century, scientists from Sweden announced to the world that the bell ringing emits ultrasound, which kills pathogenic viruses. And our physicists Iskakov and Okhatrin proved that the sound of bells excites microleptons, after which microelectronic fields arise, removing harmful isotopes for us, rejuvenating the body.
• 10 years ago, Uralsky Rabochiy published an article describing the following experiment - a container of broth full of pathogenic bacteria was placed under a sounding bell. To the sound of the bell, the microbes suspended their harmful activity and died.
• In the 16th century, the body of Metropolitan Athos was kept in the Spaso-Khutynsky Monastery for more than 70 days under church bells, and no signs of decomposition were recorded!
• In the American Columbia Medical Center, in the treatment of cancer patients, bell therapy is hastily used, which, thanks to the emission of ultrasounds, can work wonders, destroying cancer cells.

It is recognized by science that the cross and bells, the main symbols of Orthodoxy, are the most powerful sources of energy, which is still very little studied and miraculous. Scientists also measured the radiation of the domed cross in the cathedral on Easter and noted with great surprise that when the service began, the radiation of the cross increased many times over, emitting simply colossal energy! Approved:

The vertical part of the cross receives cosmic energy, while the horizontal part "reradiates" it to the surface of the Earth. The cross is one of the most powerful devices for replenishing vitality on Earth, and only a bell can be compared with it (academician F.Ya.Shipunov).

Bell ringing for the soul

And even more beneficial is the sound of bells for the human soul.

• In St. Petersburg, there is a doctor Gnezdilov A.V., who uses the sound of bells to treat mental illness, and has many recovered people who were considered completely lost people by traditional medicine.
• The music of the bells helps to quickly cope with stress, severe depression, and cures insomnia.
• Goethe, in his notorious tragedy, told how Faust, holding a bowl of poison, threw it when he heard the bell ringing.

Types of bell ringing

1. Blagovest - we hear this ringing before the start of worship - such measured deep sounds emanating from one large bell. Hearing the first sound, you need to raise your eyes to the sky, cross yourself at the second blow, and bow at the third.
2. Chime - from small to large beautiful melodic chime.
3. There is also a simple chime - this is when the ringers rhythmically strike the main bells.

The bell tower usually contains different bells, unique in sound. Moreover, low tones just have a healing and pacifying effect on a person, and high tones have a revitalizing effect. It should be noted that here only the LIVE bell sound is meant, because no recording equipment can reproduce the subtle vibrations of a real bell ringing and its life-giving force, healing the body and soul, spiritually elevating a person.

Folklore about bell ringing

Under the ringing of bells, our ancestors were born, married, gave birth to children, lived and died, all the more or less significant events in the life of our ancestors were accompanied by a bell ringing. He gathered at the Veche and called for help, called kings and announced trouble, there was even a special “blizzard” ringing that could bring a freezing person back to life.

• They called during a thunderstorm to save the village from a fire caused by lightning, and on certain holidays to get high yields of buckwheat and flax.
• And, of course, the bell ringing protected from evil spirits. He was also afraid of rats, mice and some types of insects. Japan confirms the same New Year the bells emit exactly 108 strokes, and for more than a thousand years the Japanese have been convinced that these 108 bell strikes drive away all evil spirits and harmful passions.
• People say that there were cases when the bells could ring on their own if a saint appeared in front of them, or a crime was committed, as well as predicting the imminent death of one of the parishioners.

History of bells

The high priests wore bells on their clothes, without them it was impossible to pray for the people and approach God, in Buddhist temples bells always hung outside and inside, cleansing from evil. And Slavic paganism gladly accepted the Christian bell ringing, associated with the thunder of heaven, merciful and punishing. Weddings in Rus' could not do without bell ringing, people believed that they give young people happiness and the joy of childbearing.

From the very beginning in Rus' there were Candias and Bila, called the flat ancestors of modern bells. they were first wooden boards. then iron plates, which were beaten with wooden mallets, calling the people together, then tulip-shaped ones appeared, from the tenth century. Even in Soviet godless times, the people, in fact, lived under the ringing of bells issued by the Kremlin chimes.

Interestingly, until the 20th century in Rus' during the Easter week, those who wished could climb the bell tower and ring the bells. The bell-ringer kept an eye on the children, and who did it best - he called for training, because then there were no bell-ringing schools and everything happened spontaneously.

The power of the bell is in the purity of sound

The soul of a monk sounds in church bells, and from how subtly the ringer feels the music of each bell, the bells sing so blissfully, our soul blossoms and is filled with joyful sensations of enlightenment and purity. The heart stops, because there is something mysterious and unusual in this, as if Divine grace descends on you.

I also noticed how the ringing of bells affects me, it happened, I pass by the temple, the bells begin to ring, you will stand, listen (if you don’t go to the temple even on that day), it becomes light and joyful in your soul, as if with a good person talked..

Yes, a wonderful thing - a bell ringing! I have long heard about his healing abilities, how he overcame the plague epidemic, how he has a calming effect on the soul and on the whole person ...

I once heard one of Fr. Andrey Tkachev's sermons, and then I remember his phrase that the ringing of the bell is consonant with the name "Adam", just as God called out to the first person in Paradise: "Adam!", And now the bell ringing calls our souls to the temple of God: “Adam, Adam, Adam”…

And another moment from my own life. Once I was in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, either on some big holiday, or on Sunday it was - I don’t remember anymore. After the liturgy, the bell rang solemnly and for a long time, right next to the huge bell tower of the Lavra, I sat down on a bench to rest and fell asleep, leaning on its back - to the loud ringing of the bell! beds!) And those who have been to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra know how powerful the bell ringing is there. This was my short but wonderful dream, after which I felt a surge of vivacity and new strength, as if after a two-hour midday sleep.

Bells are one of the essential accessories of an Orthodox church. In the "order of blessing of the bell" it is said: “As if all who hear its ringing, whether in the days or in the nights, be excited to glorify the name of Your Holy One.”

Church bells are used to:

1 . call the faithful to worship,

2 . to express the triumph of the Church and her divine services,

3 . to announce to those who are not present in the church about the time of the performance of especially important parts of the Divine Services.

In addition, the people were convened at the veche (people's assembly) by ringing. The ringing indicated the way for travelers who got lost in bad weather. The ringing signaled some kind of danger or misfortune, for example, a fire. In tragic days for the Motherland, the people were called to defend the Fatherland. The ringing announced the people about the victory and welcomed the victorious return of the regiments from the battlefield (war), and so on. So the bell ringing accompanied the life of our people in many ways.

The bells are hung on a special tower called belfry or belfry, which is built above the entrance to the temple or next to the temple.

But bells, as you know, did not begin to be used by Christians immediately with the advent of Christianity.

In the Old Testament Church, in the Temple in Jerusalem, the faithful were called to Divine services not by bells, but by the sounds of trumpets.

In the first centuries of persecution of Christianity from the pagans, Christians did not have the opportunity to openly call the faithful to worship. At that time, believers were called to Divine services in secret. This was usually done through deacons or special messengers, and sometimes the bishop himself, after the Divine Service, announced the time and place of the next Divine Service.

After the cessation of persecution (in the 4th century), they began to convene believers in various ways.

A more general way of calling the faithful to Divine services was determined by the 6th century, when they began to use the beater and the riveter. Bila or candia are wooden boards, and rivets are iron or copper strips bent into a semicircle.

Finally, the most advanced way of calling the faithful to Divine services was determined - this bell ringing.

For the first time, bells, as is known, appeared in Western Europe. There is a legend according to which the invention of bells is attributed to St. Peacock, Bishop of Nolan(† 411), that is, at the end of the 4th or the beginning of the 5th century. There are several stories about this. According to one of these legends, in a dream St. Peacock saw wild flowers - bells that made pleasant sounds. After his sleep, the bishop ordered the bells to be cast, which had the shape of these flowers. But, obviously, St. Peacock did not introduce bells into the practice of the Church, since neither he himself in his writings, nor contemporary writers mention bells. Only at the beginning of the 7th century Roman Pope Savinian(the successor of St. Gregory the Dialogist) managed to give the bells a Christian meaning. From that time on, bell ringing began to be gradually used by Christians, and during the 8th and 9th centuries in Western Europe, bells firmly entered the practice of Christian worship.

In the East, in the Greek Church, bells began to be used from the second half of the 9th century, after the Venetian Doge Ursus sent 12 large bells as a gift to Emperor Michael in 865. These bells were hung on the tower at St. Sophia Cathedral. But among the Greeks, bells did not come into widespread use.

Bells appeared in Russia almost simultaneously with the adoption of Christianity by St. Vladimir (988), i.e. at the end of the tenth century. Along with bells, beaters and riveters were also used, which existed until recently in some monasteries. But oddly enough, Russia did not borrow bells from Greece, from where it adopted Orthodoxy, but from Western Europe. This is indicated even by the very name of the bell, which comes from the German word Glocke. In church language, the bell is called "campan"- from the name of the Roman province of Campania, where the first bells were cast from copper. At first the bells were small, several hundred pounds each. There were few of them at the temples, 2, 3 bells each.

But since the 15th century, when Russia's own bell-casting factories appeared, large-sized bells began to be cast. So, on the bell tower of Ivan the Great in Moscow, for example, there are such bells: the bell called "Everyday", weighs 1017 pounds 14 pounds; bell "Reut", weighs about 2000 pounds; the largest bell is called "Assumption" or "Festive", weighs about 4000 pounds.

The largest bell in the world is still "The Tsar Bell", standing now on a stone pedestal at the foot of the bell tower of Ivan the Great. It has no equal in the world, not only in size and weight, but also in artistic casting. Tsar Kolokol was cast by Russian masters (father and son) Ivan and Mikhail Matorin in 1733 - 1735. The material for the Tsar Bell was its predecessor, the giant bell, damaged by fire. This bell weighed 8,000 pounds and was cast by the bell-maker, Alexander Grigoriev, in 1654. Over 5,000 pounds of alloy were added to this material of 8,000 pounds.

The total weight of the Tsar Kolokol is 12,327 pounds and 19 pounds or 200 tons (218 American tons). The diameter of the bell is 6 meters 60 cm or 21 feet 8 inches.

This amazing work of foundry art was not raised to the bell tower, because the bell was severely damaged by a terrible and devastating fire in 1737. Tsar Kolokol was then still in the foundry pit, surrounded by wooden scaffolding (structures). But whether he was raised on these scaffolds or not is not exactly established. When these wooden scaffoldings caught fire, they were flooded with water. The red-hot bell from a sharp change in temperature gave many large and small share cracks and a large piece, weighing 11,500 kilograms, fell off it.

After the fire, Tsar Kolokol lay in the pit for a century. In 1836, the bell was raised and installed on a stone pedestal, designed by the architect A. Montferrand, the builder of St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg. It still stands on this pedestal. Below, the fallen edge of the bell is leaning against the pedestal. Such is the fate of the world's greatest Tsar Bell, who never rang.

But even now, located in Moscow on the bell tower of Ivan the Great, the Uspensky bell is the largest in the world (4000 pounds). A blow to it gave rise to the solemn ringing of all Moscow churches on the Great, Bright, Easter night.

So the Russian Orthodox people fell in love with church bells and enriched it with their ingenuity and art.

A distinctive feature of Russian bells is their sonority and melodiousness, which is achieved by various means, such as:

1 . the exact proportion of copper and tin, often with the addition of silver, that is, the correct alloy.

2 . the height of the bell and its width, that is, the correct proportion of the bell itself,

3 . the thickness of the walls of the bell,

4 . correct suspension of the bell,

5 . the correct alloy of the tongue and the method of attaching it to the bell; and many others.

The tongue is called the percussion part of the bell, which is placed inside it. The Russian bell differs from the Western European bell in the first place in that the bell itself is fixed motionless, and the tongue is suspended inside the bell by a freely swinging one, the blow of which produces the sound.

It is characteristic that the Russian people, calling the shock part of the bell language, likened these to the ringing of a bell live voice. For believing Russian people the bells were made tongue, voice and trumpets. Truly, what other name, if not speaking lips, can be called a bell ringing: on the days of great holidays it reminds us of heavenly bliss, on the days of the saints of God it tells us about the eternal rest of the holy celestials, on the days of Holy Week reminds us of our reconciliation with God through Christ the Savior, during the days of Bright Paschal Week exalts us about the victory of life over death and about the eternal, endless joy of the future life in the Kingdom of Christ.

Is it not a speaking mouth, when the bell lets us know about every hour, about its course, reminding us at the same time of eternity, when "there will be no more time"().

Heralding the glory of the name of Christ, resounding day and night, and mostly from on high at the temples of God, the bell ringing by itself reminds us of the words of the Lord Almighty, spoken through the Old Testament prophet Isaiah: “On your walls, Jerusalem, I have placed watchmen who will not be silent neither day nor night ..., reminding of the Lord "(). It is no coincidence that the pagans often heard the bell ringing and said: “This is the voice of the Christian God is heard!”...

Sounds one church bells represent something lofty, solemn; and if the bell rings several more or less consistent bells, then there is even more majestic euphony. The powerful ringing of bells, acting on our inner feeling, awakens our souls from spiritual lulling.

What mournful, depressing, and most often irritating tones the bells ring in the soul of an evil wicked apostate.

A feeling of anxiety, spiritual anguish is caused by the ringing of bells in a constantly sinful soul.

Meanwhile, as in the soul of a believer, seeking peace with the Lord God, church bell ringing excites a bright, joyful and peaceful mood. So a person can determine the state of his soul by the ringing of bells.

One can give many examples from life when a person, tired in the struggle with worldly sorrows, fallen into despair and despondency, decides to encroach on his own life. But, behold, the church bells reached his ears, and the one who is preparing to become a suicide shudders, fears himself, involuntarily protects himself with the sign of the cross, remembers the Heavenly Father, and new, good feelings arise in his soul - and the deceased was forever reborn to life. Thus, in the strokes of a church bell, a marvelous power is hidden, penetrating deeply into human hearts.

Having fallen in love with the church bell ringing, the Russian Orthodox people connected with it all their solemn and sad events. Therefore, the Orthodox bell ringing serves not only to indicate the time of the Divine service, but also serves as an expression of joy, sadness and triumph. Hence, various types of ringing appeared, and each type of ringing has its own name and meaning.

TYPES OF RINGING AND THEIR NAMES

Church bell ringing is divided into two main types: 1. blagovest and 2. actually ringing.

1. BLAGOVEST

Blagovest is called measured blows to one big bell. With this ringing, believers are summoned to the temple of God for Divine service. This ringing is called the Annunciation because it proclaims Good, good news about the beginning of Divine service.

Blagovest is done like this: first, three rare, slow, lingering strike(until the sound of the bell stops), and then follow measuring strokes. If the bell is very large or huge, then these measured blows are made by swinging the tongue to both edges of the bell. If the bell is relatively small, then its tongue is attracted by the rope quite close to its edge, a board is placed on the rope and blows are made by pressing the foot.

Blagovest, in turn, is divided into two types:

1 . Ordinary or frequent and produced by the largest bell; And

2 . lean or rare, produced by a smaller bell, on the seven days of Great Lent.

If there are several large bells at the temple, and this happens at cathedrals, large monasteries, laurels, then the large bells, in accordance with their purpose, are distinguished into the following bells: 1) festive; 2) Sunday; 3) polyoleic; 4) simple day or everyday; 5) fifth or small bell.

Usually in parish churches there are no more than two or three large bells.

2. ACTUAL RINGING

Actually ringing is called ringing when they ring all the bells at once or several bells.

The ringing of all bells differs in:

1 . trezvon- this is the ringing of all the bells, then a small break, and the second ringing of all the bells, again a small break, and the third time the ringing of all the bells, i.e. ringing all the bells three times or ringing in three steps.

The trezvon expresses Christian joy, triumph.

In our time, not only the ringing of all bells three times, but, in general, the ringing of all bells has come to be called trezvon.

2 . Double ringing is the ringing of all the bells twice, in two steps.

3 . Chime- this is a ringing alternately in each bell (one or more beats in each bell), starting from big to smallest, and this is repeated many times.

4 . Bust- this is a slow ringing in turn to each bell once, beginning from the smallest And to the big, and after hitting the big bell, hit all the bells together at once, and this is repeated many times.

THE USE OF RINGING AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

RINGING AT THE ALL-NIGHT VISION

1 . Before the start of the All-Night Vigil - blagovest, which ends ringing.

2 . At the beginning of reading six-psalmia relies double chime. This double chime announces the beginning of the 2nd part of the All-Night Vigil - matins and expresses the joy of Christmas- the incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, our Lord Jesus Christ. The beginning of Matins, as we know, directly points to the Nativity of Christ and begins with the doxology of the angels who appeared to the Bethlehem shepherds: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men."

In the people, the double bell at the vigil is called "second call"(the second ringing after the beginning of the vigil).

3 . While singing polyelea before reading gospels relies ringing expressing the joy of the celebrated event. At the Sunday All-Night Vigil, the chime expresses joy and triumph of the Resurrection of Christ.(In some localities it is performed during the singing: “The Resurrection of Christ Who Seen” ...) usually in the manuals this ringing is called "call to the gospel".

In the people, the trezvon at Vespers ("ringing to the Gospel") is called "Third ring".

4 . At the beginning of the singing of the song of the Mother of God: "My soul magnifies the Lord..." sometimes short blagovest, consisting of 9 blows to a large bell (according to the custom of Kyiv and all of Little Russia).

5 . IN Great holidays at the end of the Vigil happens ringing.

6 . During the hierarchal Divine Liturgy after each All-Night Vigil, ringing, for the bishop's wire.

RINGING AT THE LITURGY

Before the beginning of the reading of the 3rd and 6th hours, Announcement to the Liturgy, and at the end of the 6th hour, just before the beginning of the Liturgy, - ringing.

If two Liturgies are served (early and late), then evangelism for the early Liturgy happens more rare, slow than to the late Liturgy, and is usually performed not at the largest bell.

At the hierarchical service the evangelism for the Liturgy begins at the appointed time. When the bishop approaches the temple, it is necessary ringing. When the bishop enters the temple, the ringing stops and the blagovest continues again until the bishop begins to vest. At the end of the 6th hour - ringing.

Then during the Liturgy it is necessary blagovest at the start "Eucharistic Canon", - the most important part of the Liturgy, to announce the time of consecration and the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts.

At Fr. K. Nikolsky, in the book "The Charter of the Divine Service", it is said that the evangelism to "Worthy" begins with the words: “It is worthy and righteous to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit...”, and it happens before singing: “It is worthy to eat as truly, bless Thee the Mother of God ...” Exactly the same indication is found in the book: "The New Tablet", Archbishop. Benjamin, ed. SPB. 1908 p. 213.

In practice, the call to “Worthy” is shorter, consisting of 12 strokes.

In the south of Russia, the evangelism to "Worthy" is usually performed before the beginning of the "Eucharistic Canon", during the singing of the Creed. (12 hits, 1 hit for each member of the Creed).

The Annunciation to “Worthy” was introduced into the custom of Russian churches during the time of the Moscow Patriarch Joachim (1690) in the likeness of Western churches, where they ring at the words: “Take, eat ...”

After the end of the Liturgy all great holidays relies to ring(to ring all the bells).

Also after each Liturgy celebrated by the bishop, relies to ring, for the bishop's wire.

On feast of the Nativity relies to ring the entire first day of the Feast from Liturgy to Vespers.

On the Feast of Easter - the Resurrection of Christ:

Blagovest to Bright Matins starts before Midnight Office and continues until the beginning procession, and with the beginning of the procession and until its end, and even longer, there is a joyful solemn ringing.

To the Paschal Liturgy - Blagovest And ringing.

And on the very Easter Liturgy, while reading Gospel, relies frequent chime, 7 strokes on each bell (the number 7 expresses the fullness of the glory of God). This solemn chime signifies the preaching of the gospel of Christ in all languages. This chime, after reading the Gospel, ends with a joyful victorious ringing.

Throughout Holy Easter Week relies chime daily, from the end of the Liturgy to Vespers.

In everything Sundays from Easter to Ascension, after the end of the Liturgy, it is supposed to perform ringing.

On Temple Holidays:

At the end of the Liturgy before the beginning of the prayer service relies brief blagovest And ringing and by the end of the prayer service is a chime.

During all religious processions a chime is due.

TO Royal Hours It happens blagovest ordinary into a big bell, and to Great Lenten Hours - Blagovest lean into a smaller bell. Both on the Royal Hours and on the Lenten Hours, before each hour, a ringing is rung: before the 3rd hour, the bell is struck three times, before the 6th - six times, before the 9th - nine times. Before pictorial and Compline - 12 times. But if there is a holiday during Lent, then the bell on the clock is not struck separately at each hour.

On Great Heel Matins, which serves in the evening in Vel. Thursday and when it is read 12 Gospels of the Passion of the Lord, in addition to the usual good news And ringing at the beginning of matins, is performed blagovest To every gospel: to the 1st Gospel - 1 hit to the big bell, to the 2nd Gospel - 2 hits to the 3rd Gospel - 3 hits etc.

At the end of Matins, when the faithful carry the "Thursday fire" home, it is supposed ringing.

CHIM USE AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

On Vespers of the Great Heel, before the removal of the Shroud, while singing: “You who are dressed ...” is supposed to be slow chime once per bell(from large to small), and according to the position of the Shroud in the middle of the temple - immediately ringing.

On Great Saturday Matins starting with singing "Great Doxology" and in the course of the entire procession with the Shroud around the temple chime, the same as when the Shroud is taken out, i.e., a slow chime 1 time in each bell from large to small. When they bring the Shroud into the temple and reach the Royal Doors with Her, immediately ringing.

Slow chime 1 time in each bell, starting with the largest, most powerful sound, and gradually reaching the thinnest and highest sound of a small bell, it symbolizes "exhaustion" Our Lord Jesus Christ for the sake of our salvation, as we sing, for example, in the irmos of the 4th song, 5th tone: "Thy divine understanding of exhaustion ... for the salvation of your people ...".

According to the established centuries-old practice of the Russian Orthodox Church (in the central part of Russia), such a chime should be made only twice a year: in Vel. Friday and Vel. Saturday, the day of the Lord's death on the cross and His free burial. Experienced bell-ringers watch this especially strictly and in no way allow that the mournful ringing of the one related to the Lord, our Savior, would be the same as the funeral ringing of simple, mortal and sinful people.

On Matins on the day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, on the Week of the Adoration of the Cross And August 1st, before the removal of the cross from the altar during the singing of the "Great Doxology", there is a chime, during which they slowly strike 3 times(in some areas 1 time) to each bell from the largest to the smallest. When the cross is brought to the middle of the temple and placed on the lectern - ringing.

similar chime, but only frequent, fast, And 7 times(or 3 times) in each bell, happens before small consecration of water. When the cross is immersed in water - ringing.

The same as before consecration, it happens chime before consecration to the rank of Bishop. In general, there is a frequent chime several times in each bell bell ringing. In some areas, such a chime is performed before the start of the Liturgy in Temple Feasts and on other solemn occasions, for example, as mentioned above, when reading the Paschal Gospel.

USE OF BRUTTER AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

Bust, otherwise funeral or death knell, expresses sadness and sorrow for the deceased. It is performed, as already mentioned above, in the reverse order than the chime, that is, they slowly strike one time to every bell from smallest to largest, and then hit all the bells at the same time. This mournful funeral enumeration necessarily ends with a brief ringing expressing joyful Christian faith in the resurrection of the deceased.

In view of the fact that in some manuals on ringing it is indicated not to perform pealing during the funeral of the dead, and this does not correspond to church practice, we give some clarification on this matter.

The slow enumeration of the bells, from the smallest to the largest, symbolizes the growing human life on earth, from infancy to maturity and manhood, and the simultaneous strike of the bells means the suppression of earthly life by human death, in which everything that a person has acquired for this life is left . As it is expressed in the songs at the funeral: “All the vanity of man, the Christmas tree does not abide after death: wealth does not abide, nor glory descends: after death has come, all this is needed. (Or as in another hymn it is sung: “In a single moment, and all this death accepts”). With the same cry to the immortal Christ: give rest to him who has passed away from us, where there are all having fun dwelling".

The second part of the song directly points to the joy in the future life with Christ. She then expresses herself, in conclusion of a mournful enumeration, ringing.

In the journal "Orthodox Rus'", in the section "Questions and Answers", Archbishop Averky, about the customs at the funeral service and memorial services, he gave solidly substantiated explanations, which certainly should also apply to ringing: “According to our Orthodox custom, memorial services and funeral services are supposed to be performed in light vestments. The custom of performing these rites in black vestments came to us from the West and is completely uncharacteristic of the spirit of St. Orthodoxy, but nevertheless it has spread quite widely among us - so much so that it is not easy to eradicate it now ... For a true Christian, death is a transition to a better life: joy, not sorrow, as this is beautifully expressed in the touching third kneeling prayer, read at Vespers on the day of Pentecost: “There is no death, O Lord, for Your servants to die, coming to us from the body, and to You, our God, but passing from the saddest to the most useful and sweetest, and to repose and joy” (see Colored Triode) .

The ringing, reminiscent of the resurrection, has a beneficial effect on the believing Christian soul, grieving for separation from the deceased, and gives her inner consolation. There is no reason to deprive a Christian of such consolation, especially since this ringing has firmly entered the life of the Russian Orthodox people and is an expression of their faith.

Thus, when carrying the deceased to the funeral service in the temple, a mournful enumeration, and when bringing it into the temple - ringing. After the funeral, when the deceased is taken out of the temple, it is performed again enumeration, also ending ringing.

At the funeral and burial priests, hieromonks, archimandrites And bishops takes place somewhat different enumeration. First, the big bell is struck 12 times, then follows enumeration, again 12 times in a big bell and again enumeration etc. When the body is brought into the temple, ringing, also after reading the permissive prayer - ringing. When taking the body out of the temple, again indicated enumeration, and after putting the body in the grave it happens ringing. In other places, they call with the usual funeral search.

The “Official Book” indicates that when Patriarch Joachim was taken out, there was a blessing, changing all the bells from time to time (Temporary Imp. Moscow. General. Ist. and ancient. 1852, book 15, p. 22).

Recently, we happened to learn that there was another species enumeration- this is one blow to each bell, but starting from large to small, and then the simultaneous strike of all the bells. This was confirmed by the gramophone record: "Rostov Ringing", recorded in Rostov, in 1963. In practice, we have not heard such a ringing, there are no instructions about it in the ringing manuals. Therefore, we cannot indicate where and when it was applied.

There is also the so-called red chime to all the bells ("in all seriousness").

Red ringing occurs at cathedrals, monasteries, laurels, that is, where there are a large number of bells, which include many large bells. The red bell is made by several ringers, in the amount of five people or more.

The red bell occurs on Great Feasts, during solemn and joyful events in the Church, and also to pay honor to the diocesan bishop.

In addition, one should also mention the "flash" or "alarm" ringing, which has a social significance.

aroused or alarm ringing called the continuous, frequent strikes of the great bell. The alarm or flash was called during an alarm on the occasion of a fire, flood, rebellion, invasion of enemies or some other public disaster.

"Veche" bells were called bells, with which the inhabitants of Novgorod and Pskov called the people to veche, i.e., to the people's assembly.

The victory over the enemy and the return of the regiments from the battlefield was heralded by a joyful, solemn ringing of all the bells.

In conclusion, let us recall that our Russian bell ringers have achieved high skill in bell ringing and have become famous throughout the world. Many tourists came from Europe, England and America to Moscow for Easter, to listen to the Easter bells.

On this "holiday holiday" in Moscow, a total of all the churches rang more than 5,000 bells. The one who heard the Moscow Easter ringing could never forget it. It was "the only symphony in the world", as the writer I. Shmelev writes about it.

This powerful, solemn ringing shimmered throughout Moscow with various melodies of each church and ascended from earth to heaven, like a victorious hymn to the Risen Christ.

(The instructions on the order of ringing are based mainly on practice of the Russian Orthodox Church(center. Russia). This practice was created and approved by the centuries-old experience and life of the Russian Orthodox people, that is, by the very life of the Catholic Church).

The ringing of bells is called “prayer without words”, so many poems and songs have been written about it for a reason. Russian Orthodox Church many associate it with the bell ringing. Few people know that there are several varieties of bell ringing:

• good news;
• normal bell ringing.

Blagovest is also of two types:

1. ordinary, or frequent;
2. lean, or rare.

The usual bell ringing is divided into:

• trezvon (this bell ringing is considered festive, exultant);
• dvuzvon;
• chime (this type of bell ringing is used before especially important services, emphasizing their significance);
• enumeration (death ringing, which expresses all the sorrow of human death, symbolizes our earthly life).

Everyone knows that musical instruments are not used in Orthodox worship, so why is the ringing of bells so strongly associated with Orthodox churches? Bells, oddly enough, appeared in Rus' from Western Europe. Bell ringing has been known to man since the Bronze Age; small bells were found in India, Egypt, and China. The bell ringing did not come to the Church immediately. For the first time, bells appeared in the temple, because people had to be summoned to worship in some way. It was thanks to this that the bell ringing appeared, which was called the blagovest. Blagovest calls 15 minutes before the service. In the monasteries in 30 minutes. In the name of the Holy Trinity, three blows are struck on the big bell. Each bell has its own tone. The special skill of the bell ringer is the ability to express the essence of the upcoming service in these three strokes. Mournful, joyful or everyday, each time the ringer can ring the same bell differently, although the bells are not tuned like a piano. Nevertheless, they remain full-fledged musical instruments, it is thanks to them that the bell ringing is born.

In addition, there is the art of casting bells, which also requires special skills and talent.

If in the Old Testament trumpets were used for this, then it was by bell ringing that they called to Christian churches. During times of persecution against Christians, it was impossible to use loud instruments such as trumpets. At the very beginning of the 4th century, Emperor Constantine the Great tried to return the trumpets for evangelism, but this tradition never took root. But the bell ringing gradually came into church use. At the beginning of the 7th century, this became a widespread tradition. Home of the bells Western Europe, in the East, bell ringing at first did not receive much recognition.

From the time of the Baptism of Rus', after 988, bell ringing began to appear on our territory. The first documentary evidence of bells in Rus' dates back to 1066. Bells in those days were very expensive, they were often captured by conquerors as war trophies. Gradually, Rus' developed its own bell-casting art.

Cleansing and healing with bells

The ringing of bells, originally intended to invite people to worship, has become a musical decoration of church life. Now the ringing of bells and its varieties herald church holidays, and this is another important function of the bell ringing, because on ordinary days the bells ring differently.

IN modern world Bells have three main functions:

1. Signal.
2. Announcement of an important part of worship.
3. An expression of the triumph of the Church.

The ringing of bells creates a special atmosphere in the temple, helps believers to achieve a special state of prayer, distract from everyday problems and mentally aspire to God, focus on communion with Him. Along with this, there are many theories stating that bell ringing can be useful for:

• cures for ailments;
• exorcism of evil spirits;
• helps with asthma and other respiratory diseases because it kills pathogens in the area.

Orthodox believers know many cases of healing through prayer and other Orthodox miracles, but the use of bell ringing as a "medicine" should still be treated with caution. The bell ringing in the Church has a completely different function, and all the recipes that advise to cast out illnesses and sins with the help of bell ringing are nothing more than superstition.

The task of the bell ringing is to call the faithful to prayer, strengthen their prayerful mood and lead them off with the bell ringing so that they do not lose the special state that appears after the service in the temple.

Many churches during the Easter week allow everyone to climb the bell tower and ring the church bells in order to fully share the joy of Easter together. Thanks to this tradition, many began their service to God as ringers. The main miracle of the bell ringing is not in healing physical ailments, but in helping a person raise his heart to Heaven, forget the problems of ordinary life thanks to these beautiful sounds, and sincerely pray for the coming eternal life. In a certain sense, the ringing of bells helps to cleanse the soul of a person. For healing from diseases, it is best to consult a doctor, because it is through the hands of doctors here on earth that the Lord sometimes heals a person from the most serious ailments. Of course, prayers in the church, where everything is so different from the usual everyday environment, talking with the Lord to the sounds of bells, is natural for a believer. After all, if the Lord had not helped people heal, there would not have been numerous evidence of this in the Bible, there would not have been prayers for health and miracles of healing even in the most seemingly hopeless cases.

You can now learn how to ring bells in special bell-ringing schools. In parishes, good bell ringers are usually always required, so those who wish can be trained in such a school. The myth that ringers often go deaf has no basis. In today's world, there are many ways to protect your hearing even for those who ring the bells themselves and hear the bell ringing especially loudly.