Halloween church bells ding-dong

Plans to revive a medieval bell-ringing tradition at Halloween have caused a ding-dong about Paganism in a Suffolk town. Organisers of the town's Pumpkin Night asked permission for the bells of St Mary's church in Bungay to ring out as part of their Halloween celebration on October 31.

But Churches Together in Bungay, a group which represents the Church of England, Roman Catholic and United Reformed Churches in the town, has voiced its opposition to the plans on religious grounds.

Martin Evans, chairman of the Friends of St Marys Church, said: "It would be very nice thing for a medieval town like Bungay to follow some of the medieval traditions... I hear it was a tradition to ring the bells to dispel evil spirits. So much of Christianity comes from early Pagan ceremonies. The Church of England says it wants to try to dispel the American-style attitude to Halloween, and by ringing the bells on what is also a saints festival we thought that really supported the idea."

The idea came about when organisers discovered from archives that the bells had been rung each year in Bungay at Halloween until the Reformation in the1500s.

Nick Clarke, spokesman for the diocese of St Edmunsbury and Ipswich said: "Organisers were told that Churches Together in Bungay has strong objections to the bells being rung for what is essentially a Pagan festival, not a Christian one."

Pumpkin Night organiser Deirdre Shepherd declined to comment on the matter, but said that the festival, which pulled in 3,000 people last year, would be bigger and better than ever this year, with up to 200 pumpkins lining Bridge Street.

A spokesman for the Churches Conservation Trust said: "We understand that there is some local unease about ringing the bells on this occasion, All Hallows Eve, which has now come to be more associated with Halloween. We hope that the wish of the Friends to mark this traditional Christian date can be accepted as a genuine expression of community goodwill."