One of the pieces - Wild Bells to a Wild Sky - will be created by the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers.

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During the January carnival period, During the January carnival period, bell ringers march through the villages that dot the Kastav region in north-west Croatia.

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When they reach a village, the bell ringers form concentric circles in the town square, ringing fiercely until the residents offer them food and a chance to rest before they continue their journey.

UNESCO: Culture

He and seven volunteer bell ringers started rehearsals by playing the melody on hand-bells before progressing to the "world famous" Anglican bells, which are the highest and heaviest ringing peal bells in the world.

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With variations distinctive to each village, the annual carnival bell ringers' pageant is a way to strengthen bonds within the community and a valuable means of renewing friendships among the towns in the region while integrating newcomers into its traditional culture.

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The bell ringers were continuing a tradition that had once been central to the life of the community, and she liked to think that only a generation ago, whenever these bells had rung out over the fields and the streets, everyone had known what they were saying.

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It turned out that the organizer was someone she had known in school, and though the woman seemed not to remember Eva, she had been very kind, and the other bell ringers gentle and considerate, always ready to help her out, never noticing when she got things wrong.

NEWYORKER: The Bell Ringer

Shortages of volunteers at the kettles have forced the Salvation Army to pay some bell-ringers.

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Numbers vary from region to region, Seiler said, but in the Atlanta area overall, more than half of bell-ringers are volunteers, and most paid kettle attendants work during weekdays when fewer volunteers are available.

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