Re: Why do the church bells ring out at 7 o'clock?
Besides the more obvious things like Church Services, Weddings and Funerals there are quite few other reasons. There are a couple of threads on this subject already. I suggest you read them through and take your pick as to what you want to believe. Is the 7 o'clock (often it is 6 a.m.) specially rung to annoy expats who don't have to get up at the crack of dawn? Is the 11 o'clock bell really to remind farmer's wives (in the towns!) to cook for their farmer husbands or is it to remind the expats of the time when they had their 'coffee and custard cream biscuits elevensies' and had not yet joined the 'coffee and Gipfeli Znüni' brigade? Is the 3 p.m. bell-ringing to remind the wives to rush out to the fields with the Zvieri (an enormous between-meal snack) or is it to tell town folk that the mid-day 'don't make too much noise' period is over? Is the six in the evening bell really to tell the workers that they should knock off work - one of the Zürcher feasts is called Sechseläuten and is connected with the beginning of spring and the official time for the 'everyone-put-your-pen-down bells' as darkness falling will no longer limit working hours?
It's a wonder the bells don't still ring to remind us to light our candles before it is too dark to find the matches...
Besides the more obvious things like Church Services, Weddings and Funerals there are quite few other reasons. There are a couple of threads on this subject already. I suggest you read them through and take your pick as to what you want to believe. Is the 7 o'clock (often it is 6 a.m.) specially rung to annoy expats who don't have to get up at the crack of dawn? Is the 11 o'clock bell really to remind farmer's wives (in the towns!) to cook for their farmer husbands or is it to remind the expats of the time when they had their 'coffee and custard cream biscuits elevensies' and had not yet joined the 'coffee and Gipfeli Znüni' brigade? Is the 3 p.m. bell-ringing to remind the wives to rush out to the fields with the Zvieri (an enormous between-meal snack) or is it to tell town folk that the mid-day 'don't make too much noise' period is over? Is the six in the evening bell really to tell the workers that they should knock off work - one of the Zürcher feasts is called Sechseläuten and is connected with the beginning of spring and the official time for the 'everyone-put-your-pen-down bells' as darkness falling will no longer limit working hours?
It's a wonder the bells don't still ring to remind us to light our candles before it is too dark to find the matches...