Funeral bell-ringing in Central Russia and in Siberia: continuity and differences

Abstract

The traditional Orthodox funeral knells in Siberia are an understudied topic requiring thorough investigation. After the Siberians had gained a rich cultural and spiritual experience of the Russian Orthodoxy, they developed it in accordance with local traditions. First of all, the Siberian bishops, who often had liturgical practice in central Russia, were the bearers of the experience. Before coming to Siberia, funeral knells evolved from single strikes in a special bell to change ringing in all the bells followed by a chord, and their two-part form was developed. A rhythmic pattern of funeral knells for the laity, priests and bishops had its own features. The performance of funeral knells for the Siberians could have a status of a posthumous award at the end of a saintly life; one could be also disappointed of the award in case of a formal attitude to the Church. The resettlers from the Little Russia had a special influence on the performance of funeral knells in Siberia in the early 20th century by introducing their own customs in resettlement villages. One of them was the ringing “for the soul”, unknown in Siberia, which was performed immediately after the death of a layman. The funeral knells for the laity were officially permitted in Siberia in 1911, however people had been used them even before that time in some regions of central Russia. Funeral knells fit into the general palette of Orthodox church bell ringing, acting, at the same time, as a signal, an art and a mass medium. The liturgical instructions survived to our days are fragmentary. The attitude to funeral knells shall be rethought in the modern liturgical practice.