Moment of silence
Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of respect, particularly in mourning for those who have died recently, or as part of a tragic historical event, such as Remembrance Day.
The Portuguese Senate dedicated 10 minutes of silence to José Maria da Silva Paranhos Júnior, baron of Rio Branco, Brazil, and Minister of the Exterior of the Brazilian government, who had died three days earlier on 10 February.
Eric Harding's booklet written in support of the monument to Honey erected in 1965 acknowledges that other silences had been held before (upon the death of King Edward, the silences in South Africa "when the war was going badly for the Allies", ceremonies in Australia for lost miners, in the US when the Maine was sunk, amongst others), but in his words "the originality of Honey's suggestion is based on the fact that this was the first time in history that a victory had been celebrated as a tribute to those who sacrificed their lives and their health to make the victory possible".
"[5] According to an Australian War Memorial article, Honey attended a trial of the event with the Grenadier guards at Buckingham Palace, as did FitzPatrick (although it was not known whether they ever actually met or discussed their ideas).
In Japan, a minute of silence is observed (and televised nationally) at ceremonies every August in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities at the same time as the atomic bombings.
[11] In Indonesia, moment of silence is called Mengheningkan Cipta and is always accompanied with a rendition of a hymn of the same name, composed by Surakarta Sunanate musician Truno Prawit [id].
Since it requires no understanding of language to interpret, it is more easily accepted and used than a spoken prayer or observance when persons of different religious and cultural backgrounds participate together.
In recent times the co-opting of Quaker-style silence for non-sectarian and non-controversial public observances has led to its almost universal use in the English-speaking world as well as in other plural societies.
This is also the case within many secular institutions where diverse groups are expected to participate but not necessarily share beliefs - such as in government, schools, commercial companies and the military.
[citation needed] The use of a moment of silence to memorialize fallen soldiers or to allow private reflection in public schools, for example, was not introduced by Quakers themselves.
Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State said, on a "moment of silence" case, "Students were already allowed to pray, meditate, or reflect under the statute before it was amended.
[20] Also, in 2005, a law was passed in Indiana requiring all public schools to give students a chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance and observe a moment of silence every day.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Alabama, Georgia,[21] Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia also require such moments of quiet in the classroom.
When a terrorist attack occurs, association football federations can order minutes of silence for upcoming matches as a gesture of respect for victims who were killed.
[27] In November 2016, LaMia Flight 2933, carrying the Chapecoense football club to the first leg of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana finals, crashed in Colombia, killing nearly all of its members.
[32][33] In January 2019, footballer Emiliano Sala was killed in a plane crash, and minutes of silence were subsequently observed before Premier League, Ligue 1 and European competitions matches.
