Page 24 - Jigsaw August 2019

Notes from the belfry...................................................................
All the way across the water the Thrapston Bell Ringers went...
The St. James’ Bell ringers recently ‘crossed the water’ to St. Nicholas Church Islip to ring for the Celebration Service after the amazing ‘Wedding Dress Festival.’ Wedding bells and Wedding dresses seem to go hand in hand and whilst having a quick look around at the wonderful creations I was approached by
a visitor who enquired about why bells are rung for weddings.
I thought I knew the reasoning but following some basic answers to her query I set out to do a little research just to make sure. Church bells are generally rung as the newly-weds make their way along
the aisle and out through the doors. Just occasionally, by request the bells can also be rung to welcome the bride into church before the service.
The symbolism of the bells seems to fall into two categories, though both ideas
appear to have their origins in Celtic/Irish history.
The first category is the Church Bells themselves. In historic times bells were believed to ward off evil spirits so the newly- weds would be blessed with the loud ringing of church bells. Perhaps these bells would not have been as harmonious as our present rings at both St. James’ and St. Nicholas but starting married life without evil spirits seemed to be a promising beginning.
The ringing of bells was also used as a way to spread the happy news across long distances, so bells after the wedding let
the whole area know that the couple were happily married. Whilst the superstitions about evil spirits may not be so common today the joyful sound of bells and their association with weddings are as welcome as ever. Just occasionally newly-wed couples also joined forces to chime the bells before they left the church though this practice does seem to be a rare occurrence in modern times.
The second type of bells used at weddings are small ones that might be passed out for guests to ring, either as
the couple exit the church or during the reception as an encouragement to ‘kiss!’ This may possibly be where the tradition of ‘chinking’ wine glasses comes from too. The sound of the little bells is supposed to remind the happy couple of the vows they have made.
Bells also feature in many popular wedding decorations, usually as two bells tied together with a bow to represent two people being joined together in marriage
No matter how couples choose to incorporate bells into their wedding, the joyful sound is a traditional and lovely addition to any wedding day.
If you are interested in finding out more about bell ringing then please contact Ray Banner or Chris Jenkins at St. James’ Church, Thrapston.
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