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Jingle bell

A jingle bell, also known as a sleigh bell or crotal bell, is a small, typically spherical metal bell containing a loose internal clapper or pellet that produces a distinctive, tinkling "jingle" sound when agitated.^[1]^[2] These bells are commonly crafted from brass, bronze, or steel, with a hollow body featuring sound slits and a suspension loop for attachment.^[1] Jingle bells have ancient origins, with archaeological evidence tracing similar artifacts to civilizations in Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, Egypt, and India, as well as mentions in the Old Testament of the Bible for decorative and ceremonial uses on priestly garments.^[2] By the Middle Ages, crotal-style jingle bells emerged in Europe, evolving from Bronze Age teardrop shapes into more refined hollow spheres cast around a core or stamped from sheet metal.^[1] In the Americas, they were introduced by European explorers for trade and quickly adopted for practical purposes, with production centers like East Hampton, Connecticut—once home to around 20 bell-making companies—becoming hubs in the 19th century.^[2] Historically, jingle bells served functional roles beyond ornamentation, such as attaching to livestock or horse harnesses to ward off predators, signal approaching vehicles on snowy roads, or announce presence like an early warning system before automobiles.^[2]^[3] They symbolized wealth and good fortune in equestrian cultures, often arranged in straps or clusters on sleighs for enhanced auditory effect.^[3] Today, jingle bells retain cultural prominence in holiday traditions, music—from classical compositions like Mahler's Symphony No. 4 to modern pop—and everyday items like pet doorbells or decorative crafts, while remaining popular collectibles for their historical and acoustic appeal.^[2]^[1]

Description

Physical Design

Jingle bells feature a distinctive spherical or globular shape, typically formed from sheet metal that is either bent from a single piece or crimped together from two halves to create a hollow enclosure.^[4]^[5] This construction allows for a lightweight yet durable form, with the halves often joined by soldering, brazing, or crimping after the internal components are inserted.^[6] At the core of the bell's design is an internal loose element, commonly a small metal ball bearing, iron pea, or short rod serving as a clapper, which freely moves within the hollow interior to strike the inner walls.^[4]^[5] This clapper is inserted during assembly, ensuring it remains contained without fixed attachment to produce the characteristic rattling effect upon agitation.^[6] Externally, jingle bells include a small slit or opening along the side, which accommodates the clapper's movement and allows sound transmission, while the overall body may feature a central ridge or rim for structural reinforcement.^[4] Standard bells vary in size, typically ranging from 2 to 5 cm in diameter, enabling clusters of multiple bells to be used together without overwhelming bulk.^[6]^[5] For mounting, jingle bells incorporate attachment methods such as integral loops, tabs with holes, or straps at the top or base, facilitating secure fastening to harnesses, clothing, or musical instruments via rivets, screws, wire, or leather bands.^[4]^[6] Early designs often employed four-leaved or two-leaved constructions, where sheet metal was die-cut into petal-like segments that were folded and joined to form the sphere, evolving over time to more seamless, stamped spherical forms for efficiency in production.^[5]^[1] Jingle bells trace their structural roots to crotal bells, early enclosed spherical types used as precursors in animal harnesses.^[4]

Sound Production

The sound of a jingle bell is generated through the action of an internal clapper, usually a small metal pellet or short rod, that strikes the inner walls of the bell's spherical shell when shaken or subjected to vibration. This mechanism produces a brief, high-pitched tinkling known as a "jingle," distinct from the prolonged resonance of larger bells, as the clapper's irregular impacts create short-duration vibrations rather than sustained oscillation.^[7]^[8] Acoustically, jingle bells yield a non-harmonic, percussive tone resulting from the clapper's unpredictable strikes, which generate a clattering effect rather than clear musical overtones. Unlike tuned bells that emphasize harmonic partials for a defined pitch, jingle bells produce an atonal, cheerful clatter suited for rhythmic accents in percussion ensembles. When used in clusters, such as on sleighs or in musical settings, multiple bells amplify the sound into a cascading, layered jingle that enhances the overall auditory impact.^[7]^[9] Several factors influence the specific qualities of a jingle bell's sound. The bell's size directly affects pitch, with smaller bells emitting higher, brighter tones and larger ones producing deeper, more resonant sounds. Material thickness also plays a role, as thicker walls dampen vibrations for lower frequencies and a fuller timbre, while thinner walls allow faster vibrations yielding sharper, higher pitches. These properties arise from the interplay of the bell's geometry and the clapper's interaction with its interior.^[10]

History

Origins in Europe

The origins of jingle bells trace back to crotal bells, spherical animal bells that emerged in medieval Europe as precursors to modern forms. Archaeological evidence indicates that the earliest crotal bells in England date to the beginning of the 13th century, cast in tin as open bells with an integral suspension loop, though rare pre-medieval examples exist, such as those from 9th-century Sweden.^[11] These early bells evolved from ancient teardrop-shaped artifacts, with their present spherical form appearing in the early Middle Ages, around the 5th to 10th centuries.^[1] Initially, crotal bells served practical purposes attached to livestock such as cows, goats, and sheep, or to horse harnesses, functioning as anti-predator signals and aids for location tracking in rural settings.^[1] By the mid-13th to mid-14th centuries, copper-alloy versions became common, often found in archaeological contexts like graves and harness mounts, underscoring their role in everyday animal management and signaling.^[11] Sheet metal bells, made from hammered copper or copper-alloy halves soldered with lead or tin, coexisted with cast types during the 13th to 15th centuries, offering a lighter alternative for such uses.^[11] Sheet metal bells, made from hammered copper or copper-alloy halves soldered with lead or tin, coexisted with cast types during the 13th to 15th centuries, offering a lighter alternative. By the 18th century, die-forming processes facilitated more efficient production of smaller sheet metal jingles, replacing hand-hammering while maintaining the rattling sound produced by an internal pellet.^[12]^[1] In European folk traditions, these bells were affixed to horse gear during winter travel, providing audible alerts on icy paths to prevent collisions, as seen in accounts of sleigh processions across the Alps and in Bavarian courtly parades around 1740.^[13] Such practices highlighted their dual role in safety and status display, though precise dating remains limited before the 18th century due to sparse records.^[11] This European foundation later influenced the development of sleigh bells in other contexts.

Adoption and Evolution in America

Jingle bells arrived in the United States through European immigrants in the early 19th century, drawing from longstanding British and continental traditions of using small bells on horse harnesses for signaling.^[14] These bells quickly gained popularity on sleighs, where their jingling provided essential audible warnings in snowy conditions, as sleigh runners moved silently over packed snow and ice, reducing the risk of collisions during winter travel.^[15] A pivotal factor in their adoption was safety legislation, such as the Massachusetts law enacted in 1821, which mandated that every horse-drawn sleigh or sled traveling on public ways must have at least three bells attached to the harness to alert others to its approach.^[16]^[17] This requirement, aimed at preventing accidents on snow-covered roads where visibility and sound were limited, significantly increased demand across New England and beyond, embedding jingle bells in everyday winter transportation.^[17] The 19th century saw rapid industrialization of jingle bell production in Connecticut, particularly in East Hampton, known as "Belltown USA," where William Barton initiated large-scale manufacturing around 1818.^[14] The Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Company, founded in 1832 by William, Chauncey, Abner, and Philo Bevin, emerged as a leading producer, specializing in globe and strap-style sleigh bells and supplying a growing market fueled by both practical needs and emerging recreational sleighing culture.^[18] By the mid-1800s, East Hampton factories were outputting millions of bells annually, accounting for approximately 90% of the world's supply by the late 19th century.^[14] As functional use on harnesses peaked, jingle bells began evolving into decorative items by the late 1800s, aligning with the broader commercialization of winter holidays and their symbolic link to festive traditions like Christmas sleigh rides.^[15] This shift was accelerated by cultural influences, including the 1857 publication of the song "Jingle Bells," which romanticized the bells' sound and further entrenched their holiday associations, though their primary role remained tied to seasonal visibility and safety until the automobile's rise diminished practical demand in the early 20th century.^[19]

Manufacturing

Materials and Components

Jingle bells are primarily made from thin sheet metal, often brass or steel, chosen for their ability to produce a clear, resonant tone while maintaining lightweight construction suitable for easy shaking. Brass, an alloy typically composed of 65-90% copper and the remainder zinc, with possible traces of tin or lead, offers excellent acoustic qualities and corrosion resistance, making it ideal for both indoor and outdoor applications.^[20] Steel variants, sometimes nickel-plated, provide added durability and a brighter sound, particularly in modern percussion instruments.^[21] The sheet metal thickness generally ranges from 0.8 to 2.0 mm (such as 14-22 gauge), allowing for sufficient vibration without excessive weight, which influences the bell's portability and the intensity of the jingle effect.^[22] Internally, jingle bells contain a loose clapper, most commonly a steel ball bearing or metal pellet, to generate the characteristic rattling sound upon movement. These clappers are small metal pellets or ball bearings sized to fit the bell interior, ensuring they strike the inner walls effectively without overpowering the resonance.^[23] Metal clappers predominate for traditional models. The choice of clapper material and size directly impacts sound quality, with steel providing a sharp, metallic jingle that enhances festive or musical use. Assembly involves secondary elements such as rivets or crimped edges to join the bent sheet metal into a spherical or globular shape, ensuring the structure remains secure while allowing the clapper freedom of motion.^[4] Protective coatings, including lacquer or electroplated nickel, are applied to brass bells to prevent tarnishing and oxidation, especially for prolonged exposure in outdoor settings like sleigh harnesses.^[20] Overall, material selection prioritizes low weight for practical handling and corrosion resistance for longevity, with brass enabling a balanced tone that has defined the instrument's role in holiday traditions.^[24]

Traditional and Modern Methods

Traditional methods of jingle bell fabrication relied heavily on casting techniques, particularly for early forms known as crotals, which were produced using sand molds prior to the 19th century. These crotals, resembling small rattles, were cast in one piece with an internal slit for sound production, allowing a metal pellet to strike the walls when shaken. British bell-founders, such as those in Aldbourne, employed this labor-intensive process to create durable bells from bronze alloys, often marked with founders' symbols for identification.^[14] By the early 19th century, innovations like William Barton's 1807 invention of a one-piece sand-mold casting process for brass bells became standard, as adopted by manufacturers such as Bevin Brothers starting in 1832. This method involved forming the spherical shell in a sand mold, inserting a loose metal clapper (typically a small iron or steel pellet) before the mold fully set, and allowing the metal to cool and solidify to seal the structure. The process, while precise for achieving consistent resonance, required skilled labor and was limited in scale, producing bells one at a time through manual pouring and finishing. These techniques persisted into the mid-19th century, emphasizing craftsmanship over mass production.^[25] In contrast, modern manufacturing shifted toward mechanized processes beginning in the late 19th century, around 1889, with the introduction of stamping machines that formed bells from sheet brass, enabling faster production and reduced material use compared to casting. At facilities like Bevin Brothers, a 150-ton press stamps lightweight sheet metal into hemispherical halves, which are then aligned with a clapper inserted manually or semi-automatically before automated crimping seals the seams along the equator. This assembly-line approach, refined through the 20th century, incorporates die-stamping for precision in shell formation and has led to significant efficiency gains, allowing output of hundreds of thousands of bells annually with consistent sizing and tone. The Bevin Brothers factory, a key producer, suffered a fire in 2012 but reopened nearby in 2013, continuing operations as of 2025. While traditional casting offered robustness, stamping produces lighter, higher-pitched sounds suited to contemporary uses, often using brass sheets for their acoustic properties.^[26]^[27]^[28] Contemporary advancements include further automation in crimping and finishing, though experiments with 3D printing for prototypes explore custom designs, addressing gaps in traditional scalability for decorative variants. Overall, these evolutions have streamlined fabrication from forming the shell, to clapper insertion, to final sealing, prioritizing volume and uniformity in global production.^[29]

Types and Variations

Standard Sleigh Bells

Standard sleigh bells, also referred to as crotal bells, consist of basic spherical bells arranged in clusters of varying numbers, often 10 to 25, on leather straps, primarily for attachment to sleighs or animal tack such as horse harnesses. These bells are hollow enclosures containing a loose internal pellet, or clapper, that strikes the walls to produce sound, with a narrow slit allowing the noise to escape. Constructed typically from cast brass or bronze, they are fastened to straps using metal pins passed through integral loops or holes at the bell's base. The bells may be of uniform size or graduated in size, typically measuring 2.5 to 6 centimeters in diameter, which contributes to their consistent, atonal jangling timbre or varied tonal layers.^[6] When secured in rows along a strap, the collective motion during use generates a rhythmic, overlapping cascade of sounds rather than distinct pitches. This untuned quality arises from the simple spherical design and lack of internal tuning mechanisms, emphasizing volume and texture over melodic variation. Standard sleigh bells originated as practical accessories for horse-drawn vehicles, where they served to alert pedestrians and other drivers to an approaching sleigh in low-visibility winter conditions. Today, they remain in production for modern equestrian applications, such as parades and recreational riding, as well as for authentic replicas in historical reenactments. In historical sleigh use, these bells were commonly riveted or pinned to leather martingales or collar straps to ensure constant audibility during travel. Within this category, variations include straightforward models with smooth, polished surfaces for a bright finish and others featuring slightly textured exteriors that enhance durability and grip when securing the bells to straps or during handling.

Tuned and Decorative Variants

Tuned variants of jingle bells, often referred to as musical or orchestral sleigh bells, consist of sets where each bell is precisely sized and shaped to produce a specific pitch, enabling chromatic scales for musical applications. These differ from untuned clusters by allowing performers to play melodies or harmonies, with a more focused metallic timbre that reduces the typical swishing sound of standard sleigh bells. Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by instrument makers such as the J.C. Deagan Company, which introduced tuned sleigh bells around 1893, these variants gained prominence in symphonic and ensemble settings during the 20th century.^[30]^[19] A representative example is the Deagan 22-note chromatic set, spanning from F4 to F6 and suitable for orchestral use in classical, pop, or holiday performances.^[31]^[32] Such sets typically range from 12 to 24 bells, each individually tuned to contribute to a cohesive scale, and are struck with mallets or shaken for articulate effects in compositions requiring pitched percussion.^[32]^[33] Decorative variants prioritize visual enhancement alongside sound, featuring intricate cutout patterns like snowflakes and stars etched into the metal for added festivity in holiday ornaments and crafts. These designs, common in modern production, cast patterned shadows and integrate seamlessly into Christmas trees, wreaths, or garlands, often in gold, silver, or bronze finishes measuring 1 to 2 inches in diameter.^[34]^[35] While this section centers on Western tuned and decorative forms, global traditions such as the Japanese suzu—clustered metal bells used in Shinto rituals and performances—represent an area for further research and inclusion in comprehensive studies of jingle bell variations.)

Uses

Signaling and Transportation

Jingle bells have historically served as an essential signaling device in winter transportation, particularly on snow-covered roads where horse-drawn sleighs and carriages moved silently. Attached to the harnesses of horses or the vehicles themselves, clusters of these small, spherical bells produced a distinctive jingling sound as the animals trotted, alerting pedestrians, other drivers, and animals to the approaching conveyance and preventing collisions in low-visibility conditions.^[19]^[36]^[7] In colonial America, this practice was formalized through legal requirements to enhance road safety during harsh winters. A longstanding Massachusetts law mandates that any sleigh or sled drawn by a horse must have at least three bells attached to the harness, a regulation originating from 17th-century customs to ensure audible warnings on public ways.^[16]^[37] This measure addressed the dangers of quiet travel in snowy New England, where sleighs were a primary mode of winter transport, and violations could result in fines.^[15] Today, jingle bells persist in transportation-related applications, though adapted to contemporary contexts. In rural areas, they remain affixed to horse tack for visibility and safety during trail rides or parades, echoing their original signaling role.^[38] Non-equine uses include attachments to pet collars, where the bells help owners locate animals in wooded or open areas, and occasional decorative signaling on bicycles, particularly in recreational or holiday settings since the 20th century.^[39]^[40]

Musical and Percussive Applications

Jingle bells, also known as sleigh bells, serve as idiophonic percussion instruments in various musical ensembles, producing a bright, shimmering sound through the clashing of small metal bells attached to a handle or strap.^[7] They are typically played by shaking, striking, or rolling the instrument to create rhythmic accents with an indefinite pitch, adding texture and festive energy without overpowering melodic lines.^[41] In dance contexts, such as English morris dancing, sets of jingle bells are often strapped to dancers' legs or ankles, enhancing the rhythmic drive and visual flair of folk performances.^[42]^[43] In classical music, jingle bells have been employed to evoke seasonal or pastoral imagery. Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 4 (1900), for instance, opens the first movement with sleigh bells to introduce a whimsical, sleigh-ride motif, while they reappear in later sections to heighten the work's childlike wonder.^[44]^[45] Similarly, Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé Suite (1934) features prominent sleigh bells in the "Troika" movement, simulating the jingle of harness bells during a brisk winter sleigh ride to underscore the suite's narrative humor and vitality.^[46] These uses highlight the instrument's ability to blend rhythmic punctuation with evocative soundscapes in orchestral settings.^[19] Beyond classical repertoire, jingle bells appear in folk traditions like Christmas brass bands and modern genres, where they augment percussion sections for holiday-themed pieces. In rock and pop arrangements, they are often integrated into tambourines or used as auxiliary percussion to add a crisp, celebratory layer, as heard in seasonal recordings and live performances.^[19] Electronic music production frequently samples their sound for rhythmic effects in contemporary tracks. Tuned variants of jingle bells, calibrated to specific pitches such as those in Mozart's Three German Dances (K. 605), enable melodic applications by allowing players to outline simple tunes through selective shaking.^[10]^[47]

Cultural Significance

Holiday and Festive Traditions

Jingle bells have long been integral to Christmas decorations, often incorporated into wreaths and garlands to evoke the sounds and spirit of winter festivities. These small, spherical bells, typically made of metal with a loose pellet inside, are strung together or attached to evergreen boughs, creating a jingling effect that symbolizes joy and announcement of the holiday season. Their use in such adornments dates back to the 19th century, when they transitioned from practical sleigh accessories to ornamental elements in American homes, enhancing the festive ambiance during holiday preparations.^[48] In 19th-century American folklore, jingle bells became emblematic of Santa Claus's sleigh, drawing from traditions of horse-drawn sleighs equipped with bells for safety on snowy roads. This imagery gained prominence through literature like Clement Clarke Moore's 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," which popularized Santa's reindeer-drawn sleigh, later amplified by the 1857 song "Jingle Bells" by James Lord Pierpont, which introduced the association with jingling sounds and was inspired by Medford, Massachusetts, sleigh races. By the late 1800s, depictions of Santa arriving with ringing bells solidified their role in holiday narratives, influencing pageants and reenactments where participants used sleigh bells to mimic the magical arrival. Post-1850s U.S. holiday pageants frequently featured these bells in sleigh ride simulations, tying into broader winter customs and becoming a staple in community celebrations by the 1860s, as seen in minstrel-style performances with homemade instruments including sleigh bells.^[19]^[49]^[50] English festive traditions incorporate jingle bells through Morris dancing, a folk custom dating to the 15th century, where dancers attach bells to their shins or costumes to provide rhythmic accompaniment to the music and steps during May Day and other seasonal events. These bells, often in sets of five to ten per leg, enhance the energetic pulse of the performance, symbolizing community vitality and warding off winter's chill in rural celebrations. In children's holiday activities, particularly during caroling, shaking jingle bells has become a playful tradition, allowing young participants to add percussive rhythm to songs like "Jingle Bells," fostering interactive joy in group sing-alongs.^[42]^[51] Global adaptations highlight jingle bells in Latin American posadas, nine-night Christmas processions from December 16 to 24 reenacting Mary and Joseph's search for shelter, where children often shake bells during songs and walks to amplify the festive procession. In these rituals, common across Mexico and other regions, bells blend with traditional music, including Spanish versions of carols, to create a lively, communal atmosphere leading to Christmas Eve celebrations.^[52]

Symbolism in Folklore and Media

In folklore, jingle bells have long symbolized joy, festivity, and warning, serving as auditory signals of approaching sleighs in winter traditions to alert pedestrians and evoke seasonal merriment. In European court folklore, small jingle bells adorned jesters' caps and attire, representing mirth and playful folly as the bells tinkled with each jest, emphasizing the fool's role in lightening solemn atmospheres.^[53] Similarly, in American folklore, jingle bells on Santa Claus's sleigh signal the mythical arrival of the gift-bringer, blending practical sleigh harness sounds with magical anticipation during Christmas Eve journeys.^[54] These symbolic elements have permeated literature and media, transforming jingle bells from utilitarian objects into emblems of holiday enchantment. Washington Irving's early 19th-century sketches in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (1819–1820) romanticized rural English Christmas scenes, influencing American imagery of festive gatherings and yuletide warmth.^[55] The 1964 stop-motion animated TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer depicts jingle bells on Santa's sleigh as icons of wonder and redemption, with their chimes accompanying the reindeer's flight and reinforcing the narrative of inclusion during the holidays. The cultural evolution of jingle bells traces from 19th-century practical sleigh accessories—used for safety on snowy roads—to enduring holiday icons, a shift accelerated by their association with the 1857 song "Jingle Bells" (originally titled "One Horse Open Sleigh"), which popularized the bells' cheerful tinkling despite predating the tune's composition. This transformation is evident in advertisements and animations, where jingle bells evoke instant festivity, as seen in mid-20th-century specials that cemented their role in mass media storytelling.^[2] In post-2000 digital culture, jingle bells persist in online holiday content, such as viral animations and streaming specials, maintaining their symbolic link to joy while adapting to interactive formats like app-based carols and social video clips. For example, as of 2025, jingle bells appear in global adaptations, including K-pop Christmas covers and virtual reality holiday experiences in Asia.^[56]^[57]

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Symphony No. 4, Gustav Mahler - LA Phil
The opening movement, in traditional symphonic form, has a disarming tunefulness, occasionally colored by jingling sleigh-bells. The clarity of Mahler's ...
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A Guide to Gustav Mahler's Symphonies | Carnegie Hall
Jul 26, 2023 · Symphony No. 4. From its sleigh-bell opening to a final movement that depicts a child's vision of heaven (with a notable emphasis on food), ...<|separator|>
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LIEUTENANT KIJÉ – Sergei Prokofiev | MOVIE MUSIC UK
Jun 14, 2021 · Shimmering sleighbells support the arrival of the three-horse troika. When the orders are presented to the commander, he advises that Colonel ...
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Tuned Mozart Sleighbell Rental
Mozart's German Dances calls for a set of 5 Tuned Sleighbells C-E-F-G-A. Written in one part, these tuned sleighbells are normally played by 2-3 players.Missing: melodic lines
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The History and Significance of Christmas Bells
Nov 29, 2024 · Bells represent much more than festive decoration; they carry deep symbolism. Their joyful ringing heralds the arrival of Christmas and the birth of Christ.
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History of the American Santa | My Merry Christmas
Nov 6, 2014 · In the late 19th century Santa portrayers widely started to work in American ... sleigh bells. But whose sleigh might it be? All were ...
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Christmas in Nineteenth-Century America
Feb 20, 2010 · Santa Claus played an important role in the popularization of Christmas gift giving. This American folk figure became widely known in the second ...
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Christmas Musical Games for Kids: Joyful Learning and Fun
Play some lively Christmas music and let the little ones shake the bells to the rhythm. You can also demonstrate simple movements like shaking the bells up high ...
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Las Posadas celebrations still thriving in Oklahoma City
Dec 19, 2024 · The term Las Posadas, which translates “the inns,” is a Mexican Christmas tradition running from Dec. ... jingle bells,” Cardenas said. “We used ...
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The Enchanting History and Symbolism of Christmas Bells
The sound of handheld bells has been used for centuries as part of ceremonies and announcements, such as a town crier delivering the daily news. Handbell ...
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Appearance of Jesters Throughout History
The most iconic jester's uniform consisted of motley clothes, jingle bells, and a fool's hat or a monk's cowl.
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How Washington Irving Shaped Christmas in America
Thanks to “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” his creepy tale about an ungainly schoolteacher who vanishes mysteriously in the woods, Washington Irving is ...
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The Lesser-Known History of “Jingle Bells” - Classical KUSC
In 1965, “Jingle Bells” became the first song broadcast from space when the astronauts aboard Gemini 6 decided to play a prank on Mission Control and performed ...Missing: definition | Show results with:definition