What Is the Origin of Wind Chimes?
Modern wind chimes have a history that dates back more than 5,000 years. Despite the passage of millennia, modern day wind chimes are used in surprisingly similar ways to their earliest ancestors and are a typical component of home decor.
-
First Evidence
-
The earliest known wind chimes were discovered in Southeast Asia and were dated to about 3000 B.C.
Features
-
The original Southeast Asian wind chimes were made of wood, bone, bamboo, stone and shells. The chimes were believed to ward off evil spirits, although farmers also used them to scare birds and other animals away from their fields.
Early History
-
Within 1,000 years, wind chimes began to migrate to the shores of the Mediterranean and Egypt, where they were regularly used by 2000 B.C.
China
-
Around 1100 B.C., Chinese metalworkers started developing clapper-less bells that were used during religious ceremonies. They soon also developed wind bells, which were hung from the eaves of shrines and other buildings to scare away evil spirits and invite benevolent ones.
The West
-
As Asian art and pottery began to spread to Europe and the Americas in the 1800s, so too did wind chimes. The practice of feng shui incorporates wind chimes and so they are commonly used now, with the wide adoption of this practice.
Related Searches
References
- Photo Credit "Film, for now (Minolta XG-M with Tokina SZ-X 80-200mm)" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: kevindooley (Kevin Dooley) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
