Vanga's items to attract money. Subject three. What the bell tolls about How to ring the bells

The soothsayer Vanga also spoke about the need to have a bell in every home. “With its shimmering sounds it will protect the house from all evil spirits, the representatives of which do not like loud sounds, especially those that are repeated frequently. That’s why we need bells in the house.” We were talking about the bells of the Slavic peoples, which can be made of clay, bronze, silver, steel or glass.

Bells are also widely used in Chinese practice. In Feng Shui, bells are used to get rid of evil spirits or call upon positive chi energy. How should you use a bell to help protect your home and family from negative energy? The main strength of the bell lies in its rhythmic sounds. In order to prevent negative energy from entering your home, you need to get a small silver bell, although a steel one will do. If you have several options and can't decide on a bell, choose the one whose sound you like best.

The process of preparing the bell for use must be carried out by the housewife. To do this, you need to lower the bell into a glass of red wine, two-thirds full, and say over it: Wine is strength and wisdom, wine strengthens health and blood, wine gives happiness and joy, give wine, your strength to the bell, so that it becomes yours. the ringing scared away evil forces and attracted happiness to the house. The housewife should drink the wine from this glass in one sip during lunch the next day. And the bell needs to be rinsed under running water, rubbed between your fingers and left under the hostess’s pillow overnight so that it gains strength. A sign that the bell has worked will be pleasant dreams and a good mood of the hostess. Now it is ready to protect your home. You need to choose a place for it in a draft: hang it on a window or at the entrance to the house. The length of the thread or rope on which the bell will hang should be seven centimeters, and you can choose any color. To increase the protective properties of the bell, you can weave a braid of red, white and black ropes or hang three bells, tightly tying the strings of each bell three times. You know, after all: God loves the trinity.

The place for the bell should be out of the area of ​​direct electric light, since the power of the bell is “exposed” there, but it can be left under the rays of the sun. You should also not hang a bell near dark curtains, which themselves cope with negative energy. It’s good if the bell is handmade, then it has absorbed the warmth of the hands of the master who worked on its creation and this will make the bell alive.

It's good when the bell rings often and cheerfully. But if sadness and sadness are heard in his voice or he is completely silent, then it’s time to replace him with another, this one can no longer cope with his job.

The new bell must be larger than its predecessor, which must be filled inside with the pulp of bread and placed in a place where it will not be seen by anyone. And after a year you can “turn it on” again and it will be ready to serve you again.

A bell is a great gift for any home, especially if a child has recently arrived. Bring such a gift, explain to the hostess how to make the bell work and advise her to hang it next to the baby’s crib.

A woman can attach a small bell to a hairpin or other decoration that is constantly worn; it will protect against evil spirits that want to bring suffering. It can be silver or steel, clay, crystal bell. You need to handle it very carefully, especially if it’s fragile, so that it doesn’t suddenly break. And if this does happen, it means there is an ill-wisher nearby who has sent damage to the house. Such a bell should be hung on a red satin ribbon, and the edges should be covered with black or white thread.

TO HELP RINGERS

Methodological material for educational purposes

Compiler of the article: Kryuchkov A. E., bell ringer of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on Bolvanovka in Moscow,
musician, artist of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia

The bells, without a specific theological-liturgical and scientific-cultural content, are only sounding bronze sculptures of an aesthetic and applied nature - a museum exhibit. For the sake of their “revival,” the entire complex of historical, liturgical, scientific, theoretical and technical knowledge is needed, as a complex and as the basis for the existence and use of bells in the liturgical life of the church with its history, continuity, sound and development. After all, a bell is a rather complex cultural phenomenon that exists in two worlds - visible and invisible. This highest, sacred, invisible meaning is acquired by a set of measures comparable to the growth of a person from the shrouds to an intelligible action. The complex and long production process is just the beginning of this journey, because the bells must be delivered to the temple. Make the whole parish aware of their presence, feeling their spiritual symbolism. Raise it, hang it correctly, with all the additional complex of work, then correctly connect it into a single cathedral organism with a complex system of connections, then, having gained the courage, begin to comprehend the sound and the technique of extracting it, then understand the whole sacred meaning of connecting with the service in the temple and be imbued with it sacred spirit. And only then do the bells acquire that sacred symbol, the peak of which lies beyond our sensory perception - in the invisible. And people, participating in the ringing or hearing them from the outside, involuntarily, intuitively, by faith, relating to this higher meaning, try to find earthly joy and peace of mind already here on earth, in the visible, material anticipation of Heaven. For the bell ringer, as a performer and as a Christian, it is necessary to be present not only at a specific sounding point in the area, being in the bell tower, but to try to continue this entire chain of correlating meanings from the past to the present. And from the present - to the acquisition of knowledge and sensations in order to feel the fullness of the liturgical action and one’s participation in it as part of the Divine Voice, convening those called to the “Vespers Velia”, the image of which is the bells.

PART 1. FUNDAMENTALS OF ORTHODOX WORSHIP.

A church service is a combination according to a special plan, into one composition of prayers, sections of the Holy Scriptures, chants and sacred rites to clarify some specific spiritual idea or thought. Finding the guiding thought or idea of ​​each service and establishing a connection with it of all its component parts is one of the tasks of studying Orthodox church services. Every day is a day of the week, and at the same time a day of the year, so for every day there are three types of memories: 1) “day” or hourly memories, connected to a known hour of the day; 2) “weekly” or weekly memories, connected to individual days of the week; 3) “annual” or numerical memories, connected to certain numbers of the year.

Thanks to this threefold kind of sacred memories occurring every day, All church services are divided into three circles: DAILY, WEEKLY, and ANNUAL. The main “circle” is the daily, everyday, and the other two are additional.

DAILY CIRCUIT OF SERVICES These are the services that are performed by the Holy Orthodox Church throughout the day. The names of the daily services indicate at what hour of the day each of them should be performed.

For example: VESPERS indicates the evening hour. Compline - for the hour following the “supper” (that is, the evening meal). MIDNIGHT - at midnight. MORNING - for the morning hour. LUNCH - for lunch, that is, midday. FIRST HOUR – in our opinion it means 7 o’clock in the morning. THIRD HOUR – our 9th hour in the morning. THE SIXTH HOUR is our 12th hour. THE NINTH HOUR is our third hour in the afternoon.

The tradition of discrepancies in the count (the difference is about 6 hours) is explained by the fact that the count is adopted in the East, and in the East, sunset and sunrise, compared to our countries, differ by 6 hours. This means that the 1st hour of the East corresponds to our 7th hour. And so on.

VESPERS. It is performed at the end of the day, in the evening, therefore it is the first among daily services. According to the church, the day begins in the evening, since the first day of the world and the beginning of human existence was preceded by darkness, evening and twilight. With this service we thank God for the passing day.

COMPINE. This service consists of reading a series of prayers in which we ask the Lord God for forgiveness of sins, and that He would give us, as we sleep, peace of body and soul and protect us from the wiles of the devil during sleep. The dream also reminds us of death. Therefore, in the Orthodox service at Compline, those praying are reminded of their awakening from eternal sleep, that is, of the Resurrection.

MIDNIGHT. This service is intended to be performed at midnight, in remembrance of the Savior's night prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. The “midnight” hour is also memorable because “at the midnight hour” in the parable of the ten virgins the Lord timed His Second Coming. This service calls on believers to always be prepared for the Day of Judgment.

MORNING. This service is performed in the morning, before sunrise. The morning hour, bringing with it light, vigor and life, always arouses a feeling of gratitude towards God, the giver of life. With this service we thank God for the past night and ask Him for mercy for the coming day. In the Orthodox service at Matins, the coming into the World of the Savior is glorified, bringing with Him new life.

FIRST HOUR, corresponding to our seventh hour of the morning, sanctifies the day that has already come with prayer. At the first hour, the trial of Jesus Christ by the high priests, which took place around this time, is remembered.

THIRD HOUR corresponds to our ninth hour in the morning. It recalls the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, which took place around this time.

SIXTH HOUR corresponds to our twelfth hour of the day. It recalls the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, which occurred from the 12th to the 2nd hour of the day.

NINTH HOUR corresponds to our third hour after noon. It recalls the death on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, which occurred at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

DIVINE LITURGY or Mass is the most important service. On it the entire earthly life of the Savior is remembered and Sacrament of Communion, established by the Savior Himself at the Last Supper. The Liturgy is always served in the morning, before lunch.

All these services in ancient times in monasteries and hermits were performed separately, at the appointed time for each of them. But then, for the convenience of believers, they were combined into three services: EVENING, MORNING and DAY.

Each of the above daily services should have been performed separately, as is done in many Orthodox monasteries, but due to the conditions of worldly life, at present, all services, with rare exceptions, are transferred to the evening and morning hours. Each of the daily services has its own order of connection with the weekly and annual services, depending on the events recalled. Following the custom of the Old Testament Church, The New Testament Church begins its daily cycle of church services in the evening.

Reading at home daytime hours(during the day), and also Compline(before bedtime) and midnight office(upon rising from sleep) was a common practice in Byzantium and Rus'. Nowadays, such a practice is rare - in the daily life of pious Christians, the place of Compline and the Midnight Office has been taken by prayer rules: for the coming sleep and for the morning. However, in their origin, these rules are nothing more than abbreviated Compline and Midnight Office with additional prayers.

GREAT COMPLEMENT. Currently, in the Orthodox Church, the liturgical Charter knows two types of Compline - great and small. Great Compline is celebrated these days only during Great Lent, as well as as part of the All-Night Vigil on the feasts of the Nativity of Christ, the Epiphany of the Lord and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

SMALL COMPINE. Its Charter prescribes that it be performed daily, except for the days of singing Great Compline and Bright Week. It represents a contraction of the Great One. In fact, this is the third part of Great Compline, to which the 50th Psalm (at the beginning) and the Creed (after the daily doxology) are added. In the modern Russian Church, due to the widespread practice of directly serving Matins immediately after Vespers, Little Compline went out of liturgical use both in parishes and in most monasteries.

MIDNIGHT- one of the daily services. In the first centuries of Christianity, it was performed at night, since at night it was then the safest for worship. Later it was included in the morning service. It is not performed if the All-Night Vigil is served, as well as in some other cases according to the Charter.

In modern parish life of the church, the daily circle has become even more dense and shortened. On the eve of Sundays and holidays:

Evening service - ALL-NIGHT VIgil, which combines: Vespers, Matins and First Hour.

Morning service - LITURGY. And before it they take place: 3rd hour, 6th hour.

WEEKLY CIRCLE OF SERVICES.

The Holy Church gradually attached prayerful remembrance not only to every hour of the day, but also to every day of the week. Thus, from the very beginning of the existence of the Church of Christ, the “first day of the week” was dedicated to the memory of Resurrection Jesus Christ, and became a solemn and joyful day - a holiday.

IN Monday(the first day after the resurrection) ethereal forces are glorified - Angels, created before man and God's closest environment.

In Tuesday the saint is glorified John the Baptist as a great prophet and righteous man.

IN Wednesday the betrayal of the Lord by Judas is remembered and, in connection with this, a service is performed in memory of Holy Cross(fast day).

IN Thursday glorified St. Apostles and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

IN Friday the sufferings on the cross and the death of the Savior are remembered and a service is performed in honor Holy Cross(fast day).

IN Saturday The Old Testament Sabbath of rest and waiting for the Savior is commemorated. Glorified Mother of God, which is pleased daily, and forefathers, prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, righteous people and all saints who have achieved rest in the Lord. All those who have died in true faith and hope for resurrection and eternal life are also remembered.

ANNUAL CIRCLE OF SERVICES

As the faith of Christ spread, the number of Saints increased: martyrs, saints. The greatness of their exploits provided an inexhaustible source for pious Christian songwriters and artists to compose various prayers and hymns, as well as artistic images - icons, in memory of them.

The Holy Church included these emerging spiritual works in the church service, timing their reading and singing to the days of remembrance of the saints designated in them. The range of these prayers and chants is extensive and varied. It unfolds for the whole year, and every day there is not one, but several glorified saints.

A manifestation of God's Grace to a well-known people, locality or city, for example, deliverance from a flood, an earthquake, from an attack by enemies, etc. gave an indelible reason to prayerfully commemorate these incidents.

Thus, every day of the year is dedicated to the memory of certain saints, important events, as well as special sacred events - holidays and fasts.

Of all the holidays in the year, the biggest is the holiday Holy Resurrection of Christ - EASTER. This is a celebration of holidays and a celebration of celebrations. Easter occurs no earlier than April 4th and no later than May 8th, the first Sunday after the spring full moon.

Present in the year 12 Great Holidays, established in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God. These holidays are called - twelfths.

There are holidays in honor great saints and in honor of the ethereal Heavenly Forces - Angels.

All holidays of the year are divided into: Lord's, Mother of God and saints' feasts.

According to the time of celebration, holidays are divided into: motionless, which occur every year on the same dates of the month and on movable, which, although they occur on the same days of the week, fall on different days of the month in accordance with the time of Easter celebration.

According to the solemnity of the church service, holidays are divided into: great, medium and small. Great holidays always include an All-Night Vigil. Average holidays are not always the case.

The liturgical church year begins on September 1 of the old style, and the entire annual cycle of services is built in relation to the Easter holiday.

Thanks to the knowledge of the threefold kind of sacred memories that occur every day, the worshiper can explain to himself the following observation:

1 . If you attend every church service for several weeks, at least two, and carefully monitor the content of the prayers, you will notice that some, for example, the “Our Father” or the prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos and litanies, are read at every service. Other prayers, and the majority of them, are heard only during one service, and are not said at the other.

Consequently, some prayers are used without fail at every service and do not change, while others change and alternate with each other..

The change and alternation of church prayers occurs in the following order: some prayers performed at one service are not performed at another. For example: the prayer “The Lord has cried...” is performed only at Vespers. The prayers “Only Begotten Son...” or “We have seen the true light...” are sung only at the Liturgy. Then these prayers are not repeated until the next day, where we hear them at the same service in which we heard them yesterday. Consequently, these prayers, although repeated every day, are always timed to coincide with a specific service.

2 . There are prayers that are repeated every week on a certain day. For example: “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ...” we hear only before the resurrection at the All-Night Vigil. Prayer of the “Heavenly Armies of the Archistratis...” - only on Mondays. Consequently: the “turn” of these prayers comes after a week.

3 . Finally, there is a third series of prayers that are performed only on certain dates of the year. For example: “Your Nativity, Christ our God...” is heard on January 7th, and “Your Nativity, O Virgin Mary...” is heard on September 21st.

If we compare the three types of changes and alternations of church prayers, it turns out that prayers relating to sacred daily and “hourly” memories are repeated every day. In a week - to the "sedemic". After a year - “annual”.

Since all our prayers alternate with each other and repeat (circle), some - with the speed of the day. Others are weeks. The third - years. Therefore, such prayers in church books are given the name of worship “daily circle”, “weekly circle”, “annual circle”. Every day in the church the prayers of all three “circles” are heard, and not just one. However the main “circle” is the “everyday circle”, and the other two are additional.

COMPOSITION OF CHURCH SERVICES.

The alternating and changing prayer books of the daily, weekly and annual circles are called “changing” prayer books. The prayers found AFTER EACH service are called “unchanging.” Each church service consists of a combination of changing and unchanging prayers.

UNCHANGING PRAYERS that are read and sung at every service: 1 - opening prayers with which all services begin and which, therefore, in liturgical practice are called the “Ordinary Beginning.” 2 - Litany. 3 - Exclamations. 4 - Vacations and holidays.

CHANGING PRAYERS. As already mentioned, in the Church selected passages from the Holy Scriptures and prayers written by pious Christian writers are read and sung. Both are included in church services to depict and glorify the sacred event of the three circles of worship: daily, weekly and annual. Readings and chants from sacred books are named after the book from which they are taken. For example: psalms from the book of Psalms. Prophecies - from the books of the prophets. The Gospel is from the Gospel. Changing prayers are found in church liturgical books and have different names.

The most important of them are the following:

1) Troparion- a song briefly depicting the life of a Saint or the history of a holiday.

2) Kontakion(“kontos” - short, Greek) - a short song depicting some particular feature of the celebrated event or Saint.

3) Greatness- a song containing the glorification of a Saint or a holiday. The magnification is sung during the All-Night Vigil in front of the festive icon, first by the clergy in the middle of the temple, and then repeated several times by the choristers.

4) Stichera(multi-verse, Greek) - a chant consisting of many verses written in the same meter of versification, most of them preceded by verses of the Holy Scriptures.

5) Dogmatist- a special stichera that contains the teaching (dogma) about the incarnation of Jesus Christ from the Mother of God.

6) Akathist- “Unsedated.” Prayer service, especially singing of praise in honor of the Lord, the Mother of God or the Saint.

7) Antiphons- alternating singing, countervoice. Prayers that are supposed to be sung alternately on two choirs.

8) Prokeimenon- “those lying in front.” The verse that precedes the reading of the Apostle, the Gospel and proverbs.

9) Involved- a verse that is sung during the communion of clergy.

10) Canon- this is a series of sacred chants in honor of a Saint or a holiday, which are read or sung at the All-Night Vigil at the time when the worshipers kiss (apply) the Holy Gospel or the icon of the holiday.

SERVICE BOOKS.

The books needed for worship are divided into:

1 – Sacred and liturgical: Readings are made from Holy Scripture - the Gospel, the Apostle, the books of the Prophets, the Psalter.

2 – Church and liturgical services: They contain changing prayers for the daily, weekly and annual circles. Of them:

A) – “Book of Hours”. It contains prayers for the daily circle. Order and text – Midnight Office, Matins, Vespers, etc.

B) 1 - “Octoichus” or Octopus. It contains prayers for the seven-day cycle of content. It is divided into 8 parts, corresponding to eight church chants, and is used during all periods except Lent, ending with the Feast of the Trinity. Prayers and chants are arranged by day.

B) 2 – “Triodion”. There are two types: “Lenten” and “Colored”. Used during Lent and up to and including the Feast of Trinity.

B) – “Minea” or Monthly. It contains prayers for the annual cycle. They are divided into 12 parts according to the number of months. All prayers and hymns in honor of the Saints in the Menaion are arranged by number.

Division of Daily Time

PART 2. SERVICE BELLS

DIVISION OF BELLS BY GROUPS

The Russian tradition of liturgical ringing implies an internal division of the total number of bells into groups:

1. – Annunciators are the largest and lowest-sounding bells. There are from 1 to 4-5.

2. – Ringing bells – medium. They make up the variety of ringing, expressing its basic melodies and rhythms. There can be from 2-3 to almost two dozen callers.

3. – Ringing bells are the smallest. They color the ringing with a special subtle rhythmic and intonation originality.

TYPES OF LIURAL BELLS

1. BLAGOVEST - a ringing sound announcing the beginning of the service. It consists of uniform, not rapid strikes on a large bell, or on one of the large bells. Blagovest not only notifies about the start time of the service, but also prepares Christians for it. He already has a service. If there are several evangelists, then the ringing is performed according to the rite of the holiday on the corresponding bell: on Great Holidays - on a large or festive one. On Sundays - on Sunday (polyeleos). On weekdays - on weekdays. During fasting - during fasting. In accordance with the status, the size of the bell decreases.

2. RING RING. Several or all bells ringing at the same time, with rhythm, dynamics and tempo corresponding to the ringing. The ringing can be performed in one step, in two or in three, depending on the daily liturgical circle, which contains THREE main services: VESPERS, MATTNS and LITURGY.

Before Vespers, trezvon is performed in one reception. Before Matins, since this is the second service, the trezvon is rung two reception. Before the Liturgy - in three reception.

3. CALL BACK. Alternate successive strikes (from one to seven on each bell) from the largest bell to the smallest. In liturgical practice, it is performed to emphasize the importance of the upcoming service or action:

1) - On the feast of Epiphany (Epiphany), this ringing is performed at the rite of blessing of water; it symbolizes the descent of the Grace of God onto the blessed water.

2) - When the Shroud is taken out in the rite of Good Friday of Lent, it marks the exhaustion of the strength of the Savior crucified on the cross.

3) – At Matins on Holy Saturday, during the burial of the shroud, a chime is performed.

Three times a year, on holidays associated with the Cross of the Lord:

4) - in Lent, on the week of the Worship of the Cross.

5) - on the holiday of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

6) - on the day of the Origin of the Honest Trees - the removal of the Cross to the middle of the temple is also accompanied by a chime.

7) – When carrying out the shroud at the All-Night Vigil of the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the evening before).

8) – On the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. At the evening service on the day of the holiday, during the burial of the Shroud of the Mother of God, a peal is performed.

4. OVERRUN. Ringing one stroke of each bell from small to large. Too much is the death knell. It has some varieties:

1) - at the burial of the priesthood, before the enumeration, the largest bell is struck 12 times. The bell symbolizes human life in its development and maturation, so the beats follow from the small to the large bell.

2) - When burying the laity, first the bell is moved from small to large. At the end of each “circle” of beating, all the bells are struck simultaneously, symbolizing the interruption of a person’s earthly life.

SUNDAY BELLS.

Since the daily cycle of services or, in other words, the church day begins with Vespers, the bells, accordingly, begin on the eve of the day being celebrated. Ringing on Sundays is the most common and frequent in everyday practice, in contrast to weekday calls. They are also a model for many holidays, so their structure is a necessary model for the basic liturgical knowledge of the bell ringer. Bells for Sunday Vigil . Before Sunday, on Saturday evening, the bell ringer, having received a blessing from the primate, performs good news and trezvon before the start of the All-Night Vigil. The gospel is carried out at the Sunday bell. First, the bell is struck twice until the sound fades completely after each strike, then even strikes begin. At the end of the gospel pealing in one go.

The next ringing at the all-night vigil is called double ringing. This is a trezvon in two steps, in other words, two trezvons after a short period of time, and means the beginning of Matins. The ringing at this time symbolically marks the beginning of Matins, as the beginning of a new time in the life of humanity - the morning of eternal life. When performing the double-ringing, it is necessary to remember that in the church during the reading of the Six Psalms there should be reverent silence, so the ringing must be completed before the reading of the psalms begins, or rather before the exclamation of the priest at the beginning of Matins.

Ringing to the Gospel This ringing in one go, performed during the singing of sedate antiphons, at the moment of taking the Gospel out of the altar. The ringing occurs during a special insertion in the conduct of Matins polyeleaceae service, which begins with singing - “Praise the name of the Lord...” and should be stopped before reading the Gospel. Since the Gospel symbolizes the Lord himself, the pealing in this place is a greeting to the one who came to us in the form of the teaching of the Son of God.

Calling "The Most Honest" so called because it takes place on the 9th song of the canon, before the beginning of which the deacon exclaims: “Let us exalt the Mother of God and the Mother of Light in song!” Then the chant “My soul magnifies the Lord” is sung, in the chorus of which they sing: “The most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim...”. That's 9 strikes on the big bell. The number 9 is not accidental; it denotes 9 ranks of angels, with which the Mother of God is compared in this chant.

There are no bells at the end of the Sunday Vigil. In any case, there are no instructions in the Typikon on this matter, but in many churches the abbots bless the bell-ringers to ring the bell.

For Sunday Liturgy evangelize exactly the same as before the Vespers, with the difference that pealing At the end, the gospel is performed in three steps. If there is an early Liturgy, then the gospel for it is performed on the middle bell, less frequently and more quietly. At the end of the bell, there is no ringing bell.

Ringing the Eucharistic Canon(after the Creed) contains 12 strokes of the festive bell, those. according to the number of Apostles present at the Last Supper of the Lord. It is performed after the priest has said the Eucharistic prayers, and helps believers turn their hearts to God. “Woe are our hearts!” - exclaims the priest. “Imams to the Lord,” the choir and those present answer. “We thank the Lord!” - exclaims the priest. From this moment the large bell begins to ring, with the words of the choir: “It is worthy and righteous to eat.” Here it is advisable to evenly distribute the beats during singing and end the ringing at the end of the reading of the Eucharistic prayers, to the exclamation: “Fairly about the Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed...”.

At the end of the Sunday Liturgy, final peal.

RINGING RINGS OF THE MAJOR (TWELF AND GREAT) HOLIDAYS

Christian holidays are certain days of the church calendar, celebrated with divine services of an individual liturgical nature. This is recorded in the names of the holidays, the dates and order of their celebration, as well as in the content of the texts sung during the service. Their purpose and meaning is the recollection, glorification and theological interpretation of the key stages of the history of Salvation, which is embodied mainly in the events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ (the Savior) and the Virgin Mary - a real participant in this divine-human process. Hence, the events dedicated to Him have an extremely important place in the calendar.

The holidays are distributed within two overlapping annual cycles - STANDARD - (Minean) and MOBILE - (triodine or Easter-Pentecostal). Celebrations and memorable events of the first cycle are strictly fixed only by the dates of the month. The holidays of the second are fixed only by day of the week, being strictly correlated with EASTER, which is the starting point for the entire moving annual cycle. The date of Easter moves within 35 days: from April 4 to May 8.

All holidays have a certain status or classification:

EASTER - as a “holiday holiday”, has the highest status and is outside this classification. The most important holidays of the modern Orthodox calendar are called "The Twelves".

Twelfth Feasts

Twelfth Moving Holidays

1. The entry of the Lord into Jerusalem - a week before EASTER.

2. Ascension of the Lord - on the 40th day after EASTER.

3. Trinity Day. Pentecost - 50 days after EASTER.

The second step in the holiday hierarchical ladder is occupied by holidays called “great” in liturgical language.

Great non-twelfth holidays:

There are holidays that are not formally great in status, but are celebrated very solemnly: the days of memory of Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. These are especially, publicly revered saints. On these days, services are held according to the rites of the Great Holidays. Ringing on these days also involves all the bells.

In addition, all churches have their own significant dates, on which days services are held according to the rites of the Great Holidays: days of patronal feasts, venerated images, memorable events, days of visits to the parish by the ruling bishop.

On the days of the Great Holidays, services are basically similar to Sunday services, and the ringing in this case must be considered from the point of view of its character: the duration and solemnity of the ringing and the participation of the largest bell.

Bells at the end of the All-Night Vigil and after the Liturgy on holidays are prescribed and necessary.

RINGING RINGS FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY

Ringing for the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany (Epiphany) often presents significant difficulties in understanding, especially for novice bell ringers. Therefore, it is necessary, first of all, to know the structure of the holidays, the order of services, and their changes, in connection with the transfer of the Royal Hours, depending on the days of the week.

on the morning of January 6th, attributable to weekday , are performed in the temple Royal Clock, Fine, Great Vespers, on which it is served Liturgy of Basil the Great.

Royal watch. Three times a year, special rites for the hours are established, which in liturgical books are called great, and among the people - royal. The popular name comes from the ancient tradition of Byzantium: the Emperor himself was obliged to be present at these hours in the cathedral. Russia adopted the traditions of church services from Byzantium, and our noble sovereigns strictly followed this rule. The Royal Hours are celebrated on the eve of the holidays of Christmas and Epiphany, on the so-called Christmas Eves (January 6 and 18), and are dedicated to these sacred events, as well as on Good Friday - for the sake of the Passion of the Lord. The royal hours are read in a row - from the first to the ninth. At each hour, in addition to the psalms, a paremia is read - an excerpt from the Old Testament containing a prophecy about the remembered day, a text from the Apostle and the Gospel. In addition, special troparia are sung.

Fine. They are celebrated on those days when there is no liturgy (as on some weekdays of Great Lent, etc.) or when it is served after Vespers, that is, on days of special fasting. The name Fine is given because this service is some kind of image, i.e. similar to the Liturgy.

It takes place at the Royal Hours 1) – good news. After hours is produced 2) - ringing 3) - 12 strokes almost twice as long during the Eucharistic canon. After the end of the Liturgy it is necessary 4) - ringing.

On the occasion of the holiday itself, on the evening of January 6th A special All-Night Vigil is served. Before it starts - 1) - bell and trezvon. The Vigil consists of Great Compline (since Vespers was served in the morning), with the festive Litia and Matins with Polyeleos. On Polyeleos - 2) - ringing bells to the Gospel. 3) - Trell at the end All-night vigil and Liturgy. The Festive Liturgy begins at midnight on January 7th. The clock in front of it is not readable. The Liturgy of John Chrysostom is served on it with shorter intervals between 4) - 12 strokes on the Eucharistic canon. After the Liturgy, at night - 5) - ringing.

Option 2 . In anticipation of the holiday, when January 6 and 7 fall on weekend, The royal hours are moved to Friday morning. This happens because they associated with strict fasting, and Saturday and Sunday are not inherently fast in the liturgical sense. However, the Liturgy is not celebrated on Friday. Before the Royal Hours - 1) - good news. After the Royal Hours they serve Fine. Before Fine - 2) - ringing

On Christmas Eve, January 6th morning The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served. Before the Liturgy 1) - bell and trezvon. On the Eucharistic Canon (short version) 2) - 12 strokes to the big bell. After the Liturgy 3) - ringing at the end and before Great Vespers (not long). After Vespers 4) - ringing at the end.

On the occasion of the holiday itself, on the evening of January 6, an All-Night Vigil is served (can be at 5 or 10 p.m.). By the beginning it is produced 1) - bell and trezvon. At Matins, at the Polyeleos Service, the reading of the Gospel is 2) - ringing. After the end of the All-Night Vigil and before the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, 3) - ringing.

January 7th, already at 00 o'clock the holiday begins Liturgy of Basil the Great. The clock in front of it cannot be read. The Eucharistic canon is long 4) - 12 strokes. After the end of the festive Liturgy - festive 5) - ringing “at the top of my lungs”.

RINGS FOR THE FEAST OF THEEPHINY (BAPTISM)

The order of services for the Feast of Epiphany is a similar composition of bells as for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, for options with the transfer of the Royal Hours also occur depending on the days of the week. On the eve of the holiday, on Epiphany Christmas Eve, the great consecration of water takes place, so chimes are included in the bells.

Option 1. On the eve of the holiday (Christmas Eve), on the morning of January 18th, attributable to weekday, are performed in the temple The Royal Hours, Great Vespers, and the Liturgy of Basil the Great.

It takes place at the Royal Hours 1) - good news. After the Royal Hours - 2) - ringing before Great Vespers and Liturgy. The Liturgy of Basil the Great is distinguished by the fact that the intervals between 3) - 12 strokes almost twice as long during the Eucharistic canon. After the end of the Liturgy, after reading the Prayer Behind the Ambon, during the procession of the clergy led by the priest to the place of consecration of water, 4) – chime. The duration of the chime is until the priest immerses the cross in the consecrated water. And during the dive it happens 5) – short ringing .

On the occasion of the holiday itself ( on the evening of January 18th) All-night vigil is being served. Before it starts - 1)-blagovest and trezvon. The Vigil consists of Great Compline (since Vespers is served in the morning) and Matins with Polyeleos. On Polyeleos - 2) - ringing bells to the Gospel. At the end - 3) - Trell at the end All-night vigil.

On the day of the holiday, January 19, in the morning Liturgy of John Chrysostom. The ringing on it occurs in the usual manner: on the clock 1) – bell and trezvon to the beginning of the Liturgy. Further 2) – 12 beats to the Eucharistic Canon (shorter intervals).

At the end of the Liturgy, after the priest has read the Prayer Behind the Ambon, the water is blessed. The composition of the bells here repeats the order at the first consecration: 3) – chime before the immersion of the cross, and 4) – trezvon during a dive.

Option 2 . In anticipation of the holiday, when January 17 and 18 fall on weekend , Royal watch are transferred to the morning of the previous day. This happens because they associated with strict fasting, and Saturday and Sunday are not inherently fast in the liturgical sense. In this case, the Liturgy is not celebrated during the transfer. Before the Royal Hours - 1)-blagovest. Upon completion - 2) - ringing. Next are Fine. At the end of them there is no ringing bell.

On Christmas Eve, January 18, in the morning it is served Liturgy of John Chrysostom and Great Vespers . Before the start of the Liturgy, on the clock it is performed 1) – bell and trezvon. During the Eucharistic Canon 2) - 12 strokes to the big bell (short intervals). After the end of the Liturgy and before Great Vespers 3) – trezvon. In this version, with the transfer of the Royal Hours, the order of serving the rite of blessing the water changes. It's happening at Great Vespers , after the petitionary Litany, in the place where the Litia is served on other holidays. At this place of service, during the procession of the clergy, led by the priest to the place of blessing of water, 4) – chime until the cross is immersed in water. From the moment the cross was immersed - 5) – short ringing. At the very end of the service, when believers begin to disassemble the holy water, the final 6) - festive ringing “at full blast”.

January 18 evening served All-night vigil . The order of ringing on it is as established: 1) – bell and trezvon to the start of the service. 2) – trezvon at the Polyeleos service for the reading of the Gospel. 3) – Festive ringing bell at the end of the service.

On January 19th in the morning there is a service Liturgy of Basil the Great , where the Great Blessing of Water takes place. Order of ringing: on the clock 1) – bell and trezvon to the start of the service. 2) – 12 beats into the large bell during the Eucharistic canon (longer intervals). At the end of the Liturgy, after the priest has read the Prayer Behind the Ambon, the rite of blessing the water begins. From the beginning of the procession of the clergy until the immersion of the cross 3) – chime. During the immersion of the cross - 4) – trezvon. At the very end of the service, when believers begin to disassemble the holy water, the final 5) - festive ringing “at full blast”.

ORDER OF SERVICES AND CALLS FOR MIDDLE HOLIDAYS

In the Orthodox liturgical system, the middle holidays include vigil and polyeleos services. Vigil services on weekdays and Saturdays are performed in the same daily circle services and according to the rite of the Great Holidays. Only in comparison with the Great Feasts, at Matins, before the canon of the holiday, the canon of the Mother of God is sung, and at the Litia of Great Vespers, before the stichera of the holiday, the stichera of the temple is sung.

Such holidays can be days of popularly revered saints, images or events. Patronal feasts of churches. The following services are performed:

1. 9 o'clock (if read) Great Vespers.

2. Small Compline (if served).

3. Midnight Office (if served).

4. Polyeleos Matins.

5. 1st, 3rd, 6th hours.

6. Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

The bells at Great Vespers and Matins are performed as during the All-Night Vigil. Bells are ringing at the Divine Liturgy according to the rules. However, on middle holidays there are no ringings for Matins and there are no 9 strikes on the “Most Honest...” when praising the Mother of God. There is also no ringing at the end of the service. Thus, ringings occur only at the beginning of the service and to the “Gospel”. However, all these rules are at the discretion of the abbot.

EVERYDAY RINGS

Nowadays, everyday bells are not a frequent occurrence. The real need for using bells in our time is not great. We are already accustomed to being guided by the clock. We know the service schedule.

On weekdays, before services, the gospel is sounded on a simple, small bell. Trezvon also happens to him, and it must be done carefully.

It is not advisable to ring the same number on weekdays and holidays.

At a service without a festive rite - only the gospel rings on a weekday bell. During the Liturgy the ringing rings only at the beginning. There is no bell for the Eucharistic Canon or at the end.

RINGING DURING THE PERIOD OF GREAT LENT

With the onset of Lent, changes occur in liturgical practice - the system of counting the days of the week changes. If in ordinary times (during the period of the singing of the Octoechos) the first day of the week is considered to be Sunday, then in Lent it is Monday. The order of reading kathismas changes. And in general there is more reading and less singing. The character of this singing also changes and becomes more restrained.

Varieties of bells appear that are unique to the period of Lent. For example, sentinels: before the 3rd hour, three strikes are made on the Lenten bell, before the 6th hour - six strikes, before the 9th - nine strikes, and before Compline - 12 strikes.

In many churches, bell ringings are generally canceled during Lent.

For Vespers, Matins and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts - ringing in two(the two bells are the hourly bell and the smaller one behind it).

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. During it, the very Sacrament of transmuting bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is not performed. They partake of the Holy Gifts, which were consecrated on the Sunday preceding it. And the meaning of this service is simple: the Church cannot leave believers without the most important thing - without that Food, by eating which a person, according to the word of the Savior, has eternal life. Throughout Great Lent, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays. On Thursday of the fifth week. The first three days of Passion, as well as March 9/February 24 (the first and second finding of the head of John the Baptist) and March 22/9 (40 Martyrs of Sebaste), if the celebration falls during the Holy Pentecost of Great Lent.

On the preparatory days for Lent, on Wednesday and Friday during Cheese Week, the Liturgy is not celebrated, but the reading of the hours is performed according to the Lenten model. However, according to this model (“hour”) is not yet necessary.

On Forgiveness Sunday, Vespers are announced with a large bell.

From Monday to Thursday of the first week of Lent At Great Compline the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read. For Compline they perform Lenten bell.

At the end of the first week of Great Lent the Triumph of Orthodoxy is celebrated. After the Sunday Liturgy, a special prayer service is served. This is a special rite performed by the bishop or rector and the clergy in the center of the church with the removal of icons of the Savior and the Mother of God, with the singing of the Great Prokeme, with the proclamation of anathema, with the proclamation of eternal memory and many years. During the singing of many years - pealing.

On Wednesday and Friday During the entire period of Great Lent they perform Vespers ringing in two, since the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served in conjunction with Vespers. The ringing is done in two before the start of Vespers.

On Saturdays and Sundays, fasting for services is canceled, since the Liturgy is celebrated on these days. Sunday is a little Easter. Consequently, the nature of Sunday bells during Lent does not change.

What is also important for the bell ringer to know is the order of ringing at the Eucharistic canon of the Liturgy during Lent. On Saturday - Liturgy of John Chrysostom. In Sunday - Liturgy of Basil the Great, in which the interval between 12 canon beats is longer.

The Liturgy of Basil the Great is served 10 times throughout the entire liturgical year:

5 times - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Sunday of Great Lent at Sunday Liturgy.

2 times during Holy Week on Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday.

The first week of Great Lent is a model for ringing for the entire period.

Third week of Lent - Worship of the Cross. At the Sunday service after the Great Doxology, the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is brought to the center of the church, which will remain there until Friday of the fourth week of Pentecost. Bells for the beginning and during the service are made as usual. And during the removal of the cross, when the rector, taking the cross on his head, carries it to the middle of the temple, a call is made, which continues until the laying of the cross on the lectern in the middle of the temple. From now on the ringing is made.

Features of the fifth week: On Thursday the memory of Mary of Egypt is celebrated. On Wednesday evening, for Matins and Vespers, it is celebrated pealing, but without the big bell. On Thursday evening, at Matins, the entire Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read in one sitting. For this reason, on Thursday morning the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated. To her good news is being made, but not to the big bell, and pealing.

Pentecost ends on Saturday of the 6th week with two holidays - Lazarus Saturday, followed by the Great Twelfth Feast - Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem(Palm Sunday). On these days, the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served, which means that there is no fasting for the service, and the ringing is not Lenten, but in accordance with the rules of the holiday - bells and celebratory bells.

RINGING RINGS OF PASSION WEEK . Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - the ringing remains the same as during the period of Pentecost: the hourly ringing is performed, and before Vespers - the ringing is “in two” for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

TO Matins of Maundy Thursday(Wednesday evening) – bell ringing on the polyeleos bell. Hours, Vespers and Liturgy of Basil the Great(Thursday morning) are performed together, so the ringing is made only in front of the clock in the form good news into a polyeleos bell.

On Thursday evening served in churches Good Friday Matins with reading of the 12 Gospels. Before Matins there is a good news. And while reading the Gospels - ring the big bell according to the number of Gospels read. At the end of the service, according to the regulations, ringing is not allowed, but in many churches they ring pealing, for worshipers carry the Thursday fire home.

On Good Friday morning the Royal Clock is served.. To them - blagovest.

On the same day, at Vespers of Good Friday(maybe at 14-00), at which, according to tradition, the removal of the Shroud is carried out, the gospel is announced with a rare emphasis on the big one.

In the moment removal of the Shroud from the altar - chime one strike on each bell from large to small. After placing the Shroud in the middle of the temple - pealing.

Good Friday evening(Matins of Holy Saturday) the announcement is made by ringing a large bell. Towards the end of the service, at the Great Doxology, the funeral rite is performed, ending with a procession with the Shroud around the temple. At the procession - chime striking once from the large bell to the small one. During the placement of the Shroud in the middle of the temple, pealing.

From this moment on, according to established tradition, it is not customary to ring any bells until the Midnight Office of Great Saturday, that is, before the bell ringing for the Easter service.

BRIEF OVERVIEW - DIAGRAM OF THE RINGS OF PASSION WEEK:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday- lean ringings.

Thursday: for Matins (Wednesday evening) - the bell rings the polyeleos bell.

To the Hours, Vespers and Liturgy(merged. Thursday morning) Blagovest in the polyeleos bell.

To Matins Good Friday(Thursday evening) - ringing of the holiday bell. Reading the 12 Gospels. On each Gospel, a large bell is struck according to the number of Gospels read. After the service there is a trezvon.

Good Friday: In the morning - Royal clock. The good news comes to them.

During removal of the Shroud(maybe at 14-00) - call back. Upon delivery - a ringing bell.

To Matins Holy Saturday(Friday evening) – good news. During the procession with the Shroud around the temple there is a chime. Upon delivery - a ringing bell.

Saturday – there are no bells until the Midnight Office, which is the beginning of the Easter service.

EASTER RINGS

The Midnight Office on Holy Saturday is the last service of Holy Week. In modern practice, it is adjacent to Easter Matins. Currently, before the Midnight Office (at approximately 11:00 p.m.) ringing of the holiday bell 5 min.

After the Midnight Office, the Easter service itself begins with Bright Easter Matins. Exactly at 00-00 o'clock, the clergy in the altar sing the stichera of Easter three times, “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior...”. After this, a religious procession begins, during which ringing all the bells, but not yet in full force. The ringing must begin already when the first altar boy with a lantern passes the vestibule of the church towards the exit. The ringing continues until the moment when the marchers, having walked around the temple, stop at the western gate to perform Easter start. When the priesthood had assembled at the entrance and everyone turned to the people, the ringing stops.

After the Easter celebration began, at the end, after several exclamations: "Christ is Risen!" and answers “Truly He is Risen!”, the ringing resumes with jubilant force. This is the most active moment of the ringing of the entire annual cycle, for the ringing confirms the Resurrection of Christ. The ringing needs to stop when the priesthood will enter the altar.

The next ringing on Easter night takes place before the Liturgy. Served before him Easter canon. Psalms of praise. The catechetical word of John Chrysostom is read. Litany and Easter holiday. During the holidays, you must quickly climb the bell tower, because the Easter Hours begin, which last no more than 5 minutes. During this time you must complete trezvon for the Liturgy.

At the Liturgy, during the reading of the Gospel in several languages, it is one strike on the big bell after each Gospel and short ringing 2 minutes. after reading everyone. But if the Easter holiday coincides with the Annunciation, then there are no readings in tongues.

The Eucharistic Canon is celebrated as usual 12 strikes on the big bell.

After the end of the Liturgy - festive ringing at full blast.

RINGING RINGS OF BRIGHT WEEK . All Bright Week evangelize to the festive bell and they ring loudly. Since the Hours are sung at this time and not read, the ringing must be done before the Hours and somewhat shorter. Some abbots give their blessing to ring the bell without ringing the gospel at all before the start of the Liturgy.

Throughout Bright Week, religious processions are held around the temple, accompanied by trezvon ringing.. At such moments, the bell ringer needs assistants to give signals about the movement of the religious procession. The trezvon must be stopped for the priesthood to read the Gospel, litanies and sprinkling with holy water. The procession stops at all four sides of the temple, however, pauses between peals are not the same: they read opposite the altar and pause longer. The last stop is at the western part of the temple. There is also reading here. The ringing is resumed from entering the temple and before entering the altar. This trezvon can be considered final if there is no festive prayer service after the Liturgy. If there is a prayer service, then they still ring after it ends.

EASTER PUBLIC RINGS. According to established tradition, on Bright Week, everyone, with the blessing of the abbot, is allowed to visit the bell towers and ring the bells. The main thing here is not to leave the bell unattended. Guests must be accompanied by a bell ringer, who is responsible for the safety of the bells and connections, as well as for the safety of people.

BISHOP'S BELLS

When waiting for the ruling bishop to serve, the bell begins in advance, at the direction of the rector, by ringing the festive bell. As a rule, they start calling a little earlier on this day. In this case, the bell ringer warning system becomes especially important. This could be an internal broadcast, light bulbs or a regular walkie-talkie. When the bishop approaches the gates of the temple (100 or more meters away), the ringing begins. If the bishop is expected for the All-Night Vigil, the ringing stops after about 20 minutes, as he is led into the altar and put on the robe.

If the bishop is met for the Liturgy, then after proceeding to the church, as it should be, two more parts of the trezvon are added to the Liturgy. The ringing of 12 strokes at the Eucharist occurs at longer intervals, since when serving as a bishop, all liturgical actions are performed more sedately. In other respects, the ringing remains the same.

In cases where not one, but several bishops are expected for the service, then upon the arrival and passage of one of them into the church, after the oncoming trezvon, they resume the gospel and wait for the next bishop, upon whose arrival everything resumes, as described above. At the end of the service, they wait for the bishop of their church to come out. His procession to the clergy house, to the refectory, or departure from the temple grounds is accompanied by the ringing of a trezvon.

If the bishop leaves before the end of the service by a side or service exit (not solemnly), then the wire trezvon is not performed.

If the bishop is “in his” church or monastery, then after the end of the service bells, his route through the temple territory is not accompanied by the bell ringing.

RINGING RINGS AT PRIVATE SERVICES. One difference between private worship and public worship is that it is not included in the annual, weekly and daily circles and is performed as needed.

Before the consecration of the temple A water-blessing prayer service is served, at which ringing is performed as on a patronal feast day - ringing before the start of the prayer service and ringing the peal while the cross is immersed in water. During the consecration of the temple, a trezvon is rung during the procession of the cross with the relics. Before the procession there is also a chime.

At the burial of priests and monks 12 strikes are made on the large bell, and the bell is played while the coffin with the body of the deceased is brought into the temple. The same is true when leaving.

At the wedding The trezvon is performed at the end of the ceremony, during the singing of the married couple for many years, at the moment the newlyweds leave the temple.

Passing bells are performed during a religious procession in those churches past which the procession takes place. Incidental ringings can be made when carrying relics and icons.

FESTIVAL, CONCERT AND MEMORIAL RINGING. These ringings occur as an exchange of creative experience between bell ringers, or as certain thematic and free ringings in honor of a holiday. Festival ringings, as a rule, take place annually and bring together bell ringers from different parishes and cities. At the same time, this is a concert program. As a rule, a large number of bell lovers gather at such ringings. They ring either in one bell tower or in several.

In Rostov the Great and Suzdal, concert ringing is performed in the belfries of museum-reserves.

On the days of folk festivals, on Maslenitsa, the ringing of small mobile bell towers is often heard on the streets, serving entertainment and educational functions.

Memorial ringings are made as reminders of important historical events. In recent years, in many Russian cities, trezvon is ringing at noon on May 9th in memory of the victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.

Since 2007, memorial ringing of temples began on the territory of the Kulikovo Pole museum-reserve.

Where does the expression “ for whom the Bell Tolls"? - The answer to this question can be found in the title of the story by the English writer Dorothy Sayers “ The Nine Tailors". The title of the story is not translated at all " Nine tailors", A " Nine strikes of the bell».

The fact is that in some church parishes in England they still observe a tradition that has its roots in the distant past. According to this very tradition, the death of the deceased was announced by ringing a bell. In a small village, news of a serious illness of one of its residents spread very quickly, so it was not difficult for neighbors to establish the identity of the deceased if they found out the person’s age and gender. The death, age and gender of the deceased were reported (in English - “ to tell") using separate measured strikes on the bell. Three strikes of the bell signaled the death of a child, two times of three strikes meant that the newly deceased was a woman, and, finally, three times of three strikes meant that a man had died. After a short pause, the bell announced the age of the deceased with approximately a 30-second interval between strikes. English word " teller» ( in Russian storyteller, storyteller) in some dialects has undergone changes to the form " tailor", hence the expression “ Nine tailors maketh a man" (in Russian " Nine strikes of the bell signal the death of a man."- remember three times three strikes?). And the bell, which is struck the required number of times, is called “ teller". The ringing made by this bell is called " toll".

In literature, there is already a novel by Hemingway called “For Whom the Bell Tolls” (“For Whom the Bell Tolls”) . In this regard, the translator of the detective story Dorothy Sayers had to come up with a new translation for her " The Nine Tailors", so as not to repeat the title of the novel by the American writer, already known to the world. Thanks to this, Russian-speaking fans of the detective genre know the story as “The Handwriting of a Murderer” translated by A. V. Yashina (2008, publishing house “World of Books”) or “Nine Blows for the Dead” translated by I. Arkhangelskaya, M. Vorsanova and others. (1998, Armada Press publishing house). “The Handwriting of a Murderer” is a good option, but an option closer to the original and the plot would still be “Nine Strikes for Peace.”

In Dorothy Sayers's book "Nine Strikes for the Dead" you can glean not only interesting information about the tradition of bell ringing in England, but also some necessary vocabulary in order to communicate on this topic.

To begin with, it is worth noting that the British consider themselves the founders and zealous guardians of the traditions of bell ringing.

English church bell ringing can be divided into two types - the first is the ringing of large bells, which are rung in the bell tower on holidays or before the start of the service, and the second is the ringing of hand bells ( handbell ringing), which are called in a small room. The second type is more like a performance or concert.

The verb that should be used to describe the process of ringing a large bell is "to pull" (English: “pull”). The fact is that English bell ringers do not swing the tongue of the bell, as is customary in the Russian tradition, but rotate the bell using a wheel from which a long rope falls down. The end of the rope is noticeably thickened and is called « sally» or "sellie" . Thus, the bells are suspended high in the bell tower, while the bell ringers stand below and hold the flowing ropes of the bells in their hands "bellrope", at the ends of which "sally" and they pull, that is "pull the bell" .

The ringing of bells is translated into English by the word "peal" , and there are many types of bell ringing: change ringing, plain hunt, plain bob, ring of bells, treble, bobs, singles, doubles etc. And understanding these types is very difficult. For example, change ringing is a special type of bell ringing in the Church of England, based on a mathematically organized sequence or order of bell ringing. The bells do not ring in a circle, one after another and not simultaneously, but follow a clear pattern known to the bell-ringers, replacing each other. Plain hunting- a simple sequence of bells. It is with this type of bell ringing that beginners begin their training. Dodging- this is when one of the bells misses several strokes. Muffled peal- this is a muffled ringing, usually a funeral one.

The calls can be joyful or sad. Not only do they sound different, but they also require the use of different verbs for each action: “ When peace and pleasure is on the win we ring; At the departure of a soul we toll", Where « to ring" - happy to call, and "to toll" - slowly and steadily beat the bell. You can also find the verb "to clapper" - often denoting the chiming of small bells in a bell tower.

Each different type of bell ringing requires a different number of bells. For full ringing, at least eight bells are required. In English, the word “bell” is always feminine, regardless of the name that is usually given to the bell.

The main parts of the bell in English are called as follows: "shoulder"- shoulder, "waist"- body, "soundbow"- thickened edge or shaft, finally, "clapper"- the tongue of the bell.

There are many stable expressions and sayings associated with bells and ringing. For example, as brisk as a bell(brisk, sonorous, new), to have bats in one's belfry(to be out of your mind, to collapse), clear as a bell(about clarity, reliability and honesty of a person), where there's a wheel there's always a rope(Russian equivalent where there is honey, there are flies), born with the sound of Bow bells- a real Londoner, etc.

The English bell tradition is closely intertwined with other traditions and characteristics of the English - namely humor and beer. Some church parishes draw up regulations for bell ringers. According to the regulations described in the above-mentioned story, bell ringers are entitled to a traditional English drink during work - beer, with which they are fortified during the grueling exercise in the bell tower. The old regulations for bell ringers read: “Keep stroke of time and go not out. Or ellse you forfeit out of doubt. For every fault a Jugg of beer"(translation: Don’t miss the ringing of the bell. Otherwise, you will certainly receive a fine. For every mistake, the penalty is a mug of beer.) It is not said what size this mug should be, but capitalizing the word “Mug” implies that it is impressive. The charter also says the following: “If a bell you overthrow 'Twill cost you sixpence er you goe” (If a bell you overthrow, it'll cost you sixpence here you go) - translation: If you twist the bell, it will cost you sixpence.

They identify sad and solemn moments in people's lives. In this regard, the sound of bells is divided into two large categories, which have their own characteristics.

Actually the ringing

According to church traditions, this type of sound is produced by a large number of bells and is divided into several varieties:

• Trezvon - ringing all bells three times with short breaks. The ringing of the trezvon means joy from a great Christian holiday.
• Double ringing - ringing a bell on all available instruments, but with a double break.
• Chime - multiple strikes on each bell in turn. They start with the main thing (large) and end with the smallest. The chime is repeated many times without interruption.
• Bust - starting with the smallest bell, everyone is struck one by one with a long break. After the last blow, all instruments are struck simultaneously. This order is repeated several times. Most often used during funeral events.

On the great feast of Epiphany, a special “water-blessing” chime is held. It is performed with an overlap of 7 blows, moving from a large alarm to a small one.

At large cathedrals, where the bell tower has many different bells, “red” ringing is carried out on holidays. To produce it you need at least 5 bell ringers.

The most significant Orthodox bell gets its name from the carrying of good news. He convenes all Orthodox Christians for the beginning of the service. The announcement is made by striking the main bell in a special order:

• three lingering, rare;
• uniform.

If there are several “evangelists” in the bell tower, the bell ringer selects them by weight. The more serious the event, the heavier the bell.

Festive - produced on Easter. The bell ringer hits the largest instrument. But the festive gospel is sometimes permitted during other church events. For example, the consecration of the throne. To use this type of ringing, the blessing of the temple abbot is required.

Sunday - if there is a holiday evangelist, then Sunday is considered the second in weight.

Polyeleum – used for special services.

Everyday – evangelist is used to designate daily Orthodox services.

Lenten - strikes during Lent.

The types of evangelists determine the types of bell ringing. Their use on a given day depends on the determination of the abbot.

In Rus', another ringing was once used - the alarm. These are single alarm blows, notifying about a sad everyday event: an invasion of enemies, a fire, a flood or any other disaster.

The power of the bell ringing is so strong that it cleanses the space around it, saturates it with love and goodness. Sound waves from the bell towers spread in the form of a cross, this explains the powerful positive effect on the physical body and spiritual state of a person. It has been proven that with the help of bell vibrations, viral diseases are reduced and the psycho-emotional state returns to normal.

To heal and cleanse the soul, the ringing of bells can be listened to in recordings on high-quality media and without the use of headphones. It is recommended to enjoy live sound at least once a year.

You can get a positive influence only if the sounds do not irritate the person. A sound therapy session, even with a live bell, should not exceed 20 minutes.