ETC Sacred Texts

Funeral Customs: Chapter V: Bells, Mourning

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THE "passing bell" is the herald of death, but the custom of ringing it has largely been abandoned in this country. Its object was to call attention to the fact that a soul was "passing" into the next world, and asked your prayers. More than this, it was believed that the ringing of the bell frightened the ever-present evil spirits, who would be making a special effort at the moment of death to obtain possession of the soul.

Funeral Customs: Chapter V: Bells, Mourning

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