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Bells ring at Washington National Cathedral in harmonious start of the new year

Kyle Cooper | kcooper@wtop.com

January 1, 2020, 4:40 PM

The bells at the Washington National Cathedral rang for hours on Wednesday, marking the start of the new year.

The special ringing, called a 鈥渇ull peal,鈥� only occurs on special days or ceremonies. In a full peal, all 10 bells at the cathedral are rung in a special sequence. A full peal using all 10 bells lasts about four hours. Members of the Washington Ringing Society practice extensively in order to carry out the bell-ringing properly.

Alan and Krista Veit, of Leesburg, Virginia, came to hear the bells and find inspiration in their sound.

“I felt like I just needed a little bit of comfort, given what鈥檚 going on in the world,” said Krista Veit. The bells gave her warmth, taking her back to a simpler time when she attended church weekly.

Her husband, Alan Veit, said hearing the bells gave him “a great feeling. It鈥檚 a new year and new decade.”

Among the hundreds of others listening to the bells shortly after they started ringing was Andrea Pollan. She said the bells “are very hopeful. I don鈥檛 know, it brings tears to my eyes.”

Though she had grown up listening to full peals, Pollan said that “for some reason, it had a special significance today.”

The 10 bells of the National Cathedral were installed in 1963 and were made by the same caster of the bells at Big Ben in London and the Liberty Bell.

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Kyle Cooper

Weekend and fill-in anchor Kyle Cooper has been with 海角社区app since 1992. Over those 25 years, Kyle has worked as a street reporter, editor and anchor. Prior to 海角社区app, Kyle worked at several radio stations in Indiana and at the Indianapolis Star 海角社区apppaper.

kcooper@wtop.com

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