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The church bells ring in Guadalajara
in a number of different ways. Why is that? According to the staff of the San Juan Crisostomo Church, in Mexico church bells are used to announce five major things: mass, saying of the rosary, saying of the catechism, someone’s death, or an emergency. For mass, saying of the rosary or catechism, there are three signals: first call (half an hour before it starts), second call (15 minutes before) and third call (at the starting time). First call is preceded by and followed by one ring, second call by two, third call by three. The “code” rings are in the middle, and the cadence of the bells denotes the function. Mass is signaled by more than ten rings in quick succession. The saying of the rosary is sounded off the same way, except the in- between rings are slower. Catechism announcements use ten-plus double- rings (dongdong, dongdong, etc). So, to decode that ringing in your ears, remember: n the first and last rings announce first call, second call, etc. n the cadence of the middle rings announces the event. So, two rings, plus 15 fast rings, plus two rings, would mean second call for mass. Announcing a death, the ten or so rings are very slow, tolling the death knell. To announce an emergency, San Juan’s staff noted that “we don’t know what it is supposed to sound like, but you’ll know it when you hear it.” |
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