<h1>The History Of The Wind Chime Sounds Good</h1>

People have always liked to make noise. People have always liked to have some control over forces they cannot understand. The history of the wind chime is closely entwined with the history of our species. Wind chimes are not only beautiful, but they were once thought to scare away evil spirits and pacify good spirits. Since modern wind chime owners find the chimes soothing, perhaps there is still truth in this superstition.

“Of The Bells, Bells, Bells…”

Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, “The Bells” keeps repeating the word “bells” in an almost maniacal chant. You can kind of get the impression of why evil spirits would be frightened of the sound of bells. This is why churches have bells – to scare away demons. The history of bells is also the history of the wind chime, as they are more or less the same instrument, just in a slightly different design. Both instruments are based on the sound of one thing (the clapper) hitting another thing (the clapped). Wind chimes just let nature ring it while you have to physically move a bell.

Because nature moves wind chimes, it is often thought that benevolent spirits are the ones moving the clapper, reassuring you that they are nearby.

East And West 

The history of the wind chime is best recorded in the East, where wind chimes have always been part of the household or village temple. In China, the ancient art of Feng Shui was developed, and is gaining much popularity in the West in the last twenty years. In Feng Shui, a balance of natural energies is thought to bring a happy and lucky life and business. In order to get the natural energies balanced, certain items need to be rearranged. Wind chimes are often a popular method of drawing or balancing energies, like lighting to a lightning rod.

But the history of the wind chime is also recently been the history of weather forecasting. Man used to be completely at the whim of the weather, and so knowing when to plant and when to keep low was essential for survival. And there were no radars or satellites then. One of the ways they could tell where and how strong a storm was coming was to hang wind chimes up.

But now in contemporary times, the history of the wind chime finds wind chimes in a balance between a tool and a form of worship. It is now art. Many keep wind chimes for the sheer pleasure of their looks and sounds.