Cynthia W. Rossano, a key figure behind Harvard’s Commencement Day bell tradition, will not hear them this year, as she passed away on March 21, 2026. Rossano was crucial in starting this tradition in 1987. In honor of Harvard\u2019s 375th Commencement, bells will ring across Cambridge and at the nation\u2019s oldest university.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, for the 39th consecutive year, the bells will start ringing at 12:15 p.m., right after the Middlesex County sheriff concludes the Commencement Exercises. The bells will sound for around 15 minutes. Historically, bells have played a significant role, signaling students to wake, pray, work, or study. The Memorial Church’s deep-toned bell will be joined by the new set of bells, replacing the original Russian zvon of Lowell House, which was returned to Russia in 2008.<\/p>\n
The Harvard Business School bell will echo across the river. Other participants include the Christ Church Cambridge’s 13-bell \u201cHarvard Chime,\u201d the Harvard Divinity School bell, and several local churches such as First Church Congregational and St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, among others, all ringing in celebration.<\/p>\n
Bells were present at Harvard as early as 1643, as documented in \u201cNew England\u2019s First Fruits,\u201d which outlined college rules involving the bell. Of the early bells in Massachusetts, three were located in what is now Harvard Yard, including the original College bell. The First Parish Church, which has longstanding ties with Harvard, will also participate in the bell ringing.<\/p>\n
Christ Church Cambridge, the oldest local church, is home to the \u201cHarvard Chime,\u201d created for its 1861 centennial. Richard Henry Dana Jr. and two alumni facilitated the chime’s creation. First rung in 1860, the bells bear Latin inscriptions from the \u201cGloria in Excelsis.\u201d Samuel Batchelder noted in 1893 that the bells were a shared joy for the city, rung on both church and college special occasions.<\/p>\n
The Lowell House bells, which had a unique Eastern tone for 76 years, have been replaced by newly cast bells that harmonize with those of Cambridge’s churches. A student of bells remarked in 1939 on their captivating nature, whether ringing at night or during religious services, as chimes have a profound emotional impact.<\/p>\n