Hits from the bong: music obsessives rescue the sound of Spain’s ancient bells

<p>For centuries bells were the fastest means of communication, calling people to meetings, warning about wildfires, and were even believed to offer protection from storms – now they are being given a new life</p><p>In 2002, Silberius de Ura was visiting Santillán del Agua, a village in the region of Burgos, in northern Spain. He was chatting to one of the neighbours next to the town church when the man raised his hand and pointed to one of the bells, calling it the <em>tentenublo</em> bell.</p><p>“He told me that, when played in the right way, the bell had the power to protect against hail storms, either by pushing the storm away or by turning the hail into water,” recalls Silberius. “Until then, I thought that bells were only used to call people to mass or to announce that someone had passed away, but this was different, it was sort of magical.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/sep/22/hits-from-the-bong-music-obsessives-rescue-the-sound-of-spains-ancient-bells">Continue reading...</a>