Windchimes; A History Of Tinkling Music

Travel around a small town and you will often find windchimes hanging on a front porch or tinkling from the garden. The sound they produce is beautiful and they tend to give the feeling of calmness. There are many different types of windchimes including those that just tinkle to those that are tuned to give off specific tones. Windchimes can be made of different types of materials and you are sure to find one that pleases your ear.

Windchimes were used during the prehistoric era and it is not really known what they were used for. They could have been a warning mechanism to tell the prehistoric people against intruders or they could have been measuring the wind. They also could have just liked the sound. A set of windchimes were dug up at an archaeological dig in South East Asia somewhere around 3000 BC. These windchimes were made of materials that could be found around the area. They used bamboo, wood, stones, shell and most often bones.

Windchimes were important to the Buddhist religion and culture and they were often used in religious ceremonies. They would place the chimes on the ends of the roof on temples so they would ring wildly when the wind blew. Cultures in Asia and the Mediterranean thought that windchimes attracted good spirits that would protect them and it would frighten the nasty spirits away. In China and Japan windchimes are placed outside of family homes to make sure they are protected. Many other cultures still think windchimes will bring luck to those who own them.

The Celtic people of ancient Britain made and used windchimes to keep away intruders. They placed windchimes in the woods near their villages so that when the intruders came near they would hear them and think the woods were haunted. They would be tricked and run quickly away from the village.

It seems that windchimes will calm the mind and spirit. Each chime has a tone and resonance that has the ability to heal both the mind and the body of a human being. The chimes bring great awareness and will connect you with your own spirit. The are relaxing and can quell anger bringing a balance to the soul. Feng Shui employs the use of windchimes in order to bring that balance into the home.

Farmers used to use windchimes not to gain balance but to tell what the weather was going to be like. When a wind blows from a certain direction in a certain area it can bring about good or bad weather conditions. Farmers could tell if there was going to be rain by hearing the windchimes ring in a particular manner because the wind was coming from that direction. They could tell how hard the wind was blowing as well. They also used windchimes in the corn field in order to frighten away the birds that would eat all the corn.

Windchimes are still a good seller even today. They are made from hanging the chimes from string. Some of the chimes are made of metal rods or tubes and some are made of glass or even seashells. Bamboo windchimes are very popular and give a clinking sound rather than a chime. Some of the metal chimes have a central string hanging down with a metal or wooden ball or disk at the bottom. The chimes hit that ball or disk when the wind blows and causes them to sound. There are other windchimes where the chimes are positioned in a row and they bump into each other and make sounds.

Windchimes can be found everywhere these days and the reason usually does not include intruders or scaring away crows. It usually is not to forecast the weather either or to beacon to good spirits. Windchimes do give off sounds that can be calming and relaxing and come in a variety of materials including glass, wood or bamboo, seashells, and all types of metals. They may or may not bring luck but everyone who hears them enjoys the tinkling melodies.

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