International Town Criers Day

Despite the fact that the profession of heralds is outdated, International Town Criers Day is every year on the second Monday of July. City criers were also known as bell ringers, and the position was often held by officers who served at the royal court or held public office. It consisted of attracting the attention of the inhabitants when it was necessary to voice important information or to make an announcement.

History

International Town Criers Day was created by Scott Fraser of Ontario when he discovered that his profession had been neglected. He decided to draw attention to the work of heralds, since the second Monday of July is the day when the profession is honored and the importance of their role in disseminating important messages is emphasized. They were literate, educated people who often needed protection from the crowd when they were forced to report bad news. Despite the first heralds appearing in ancient Greece, the holiday in their honor only appeared in 1997.

Interesting Facts

• The first heralds traditionally announced the start of wars.
• The word stentorian, which means ‘loud voice’, came from the name of one of the first heralds, named Stentor. According to legend, he had a voice as loud as fifty people.
• In England during the Middle Ages, heralds began their speech with the call ‘Oyez’, from the French ‘hear!’
• With the development of printing and newspapers, as well as with the spread of literacy, the need for heralds gradually disappeared.
• Since the heralds were sometimes killed for delivering bad news, a law was passed to protect them. An attempt on a messenger was equated with the attempt on the king and was punished accordingly.
• The profession of a messenger was spread all over the world, and in each country a certain form and method of notifying people was followed.

How to Take Part

Feel like a herald – recite some news in a loud, well-paced voice. Tell your followers on social networks about the importance and peculiarities of this profession. Make it fun and casual – change into a messenger’s livery, compose the text in advance, and rehearse it. Dig into the Internet, you will learn a lot of interesting things about this old, important profession. You can also take part in the herald championship.

When is International Town Criers Day in 2024?

International Town Criers Day is observed on the second Monday of July each year.

Observations