Did you wake up to the chiming of church bells this morning, and wonder why?
You’re not alone!
Many readers reached out to Victoria Buzz this morning to find out the meaning behind the early morning chorus, and it’s been determined that it was indeed for good reason.
At 8:15 a.m. Thursday morning, the bells at St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, First Metropolitan United Church, Christ Church Cathedral and several others across the region rang 75 times in succession.
This was to mark the moment, exactly 75 years prior, that an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan by the United States during World War II.
The commemoration was organized by the group Bells for Peace.
Additionally, the City of Victoria designated the week of August 2-9 as Hibakusha Remembrance Week, which honours survivors of the world’s first nuclear bombings.
