The Latin word caccăbus passed into Vulgar Latin as cascabus , which can be translated as “pot.” The diminutive of said term derived from the Occitan cascavel , which came to our language as rattlesnake .
The concept refers to a hollow metal sphere , small in size, which has a small opening and houses inside some element that makes noise with movement. The sound is generated by the collision between the inner piece and the hollow sphere.
In ancient times, rattles were used for ritual purposes , possibly in the belief that the noise warded off spirits and other entities. When placed on the necks of cattle, they also had a specific purpose: to scare away snakes and other species that could attack the animals .
Jingle bells are currently used as a percussion instrument . These spheres are generally added to clubs or sticks that, when shaken, generate a high-pitched sound. Jingle bells can help set the rhythm .
A group of poisonous vipers that live in the American territory are called rattlesnakes . These animals, with the exception of one particular species , are characterized by having a bell on their tail. The noise generated by the rattle serves as a defense mechanism.
It should be noted that certain species of plants , such as Briza maxima and Alstroemeria aurantiaca , are called rattlesnakes in colloquial language.
In addition to all of the above, we cannot overlook the fact that it is also titled “Cascabel”, a Spanish film that was released in 2000. Daniel Cebrián is the director of this feature film, starring actors such as Pilar Punzano, Irene Visedo , Chete Lera or Antonio Dechent, among others.
It is framed within the drama genre and tells that Luz, after not succeeding in music in the capital, has to return to the town and face again the problems she was trying to escape from. Precisely that decision of Luz makes the young Cascabel feel sad and hopeless. A girl has a hard day to day life who will try to do everything possible so that her friend is free and continues fighting for her dreams, because that will mean giving life to both of them.
In the same way, we cannot ignore that on channel 13 TV in Spain there is a television program that responds to the name “El cascabel”. Social and political news is the main topic of this program, which has been on the air since 2013 and is broadcast from Monday to Friday nights.
Antonio Jiménez is the presenter of this program that has collaborators of the stature of Jaime González, Joaquín Leguina, Carlos Cuesta and Miguel Ángel Rodríguez. Likewise, significant figures from Spanish politics have passed through its set, such as Mariano Rajoy, former President of the Government, or Albert Rivera, leader of the Ciudadanos party.
Cascabel, finally, is the name of a Spanish newspaper from the 19th century ( “El cascabel” ) and an Argentine magazine from the 1940s ( “Cascabel” ).