View source for Moment of silence

{{Short description|Death custom}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Redirect|One minute silence|the band|One Minute Silence}}
{{Redirect|Minute of silence|the Soviet radio program|Minute of Silence}}
{{Globalize|article|United States|date=July 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}

[[File:Moment of silence.jpg|thumb|A moment of silence observed by people wearing the traditional folk regalia of the [[Gail (river)|Gail Valley]] in Austria]]
[[File:US Navy 050714-N-9580K-001 Navy Chaplain Dave McBeth, left, leads an informal gathering of personnel aboard Naval Support Activity (NSA) Naples during a Europe-wide coordinated two-minute moment of silence.jpg|thumb|Naples, Italy (14 July 2005) – Navy Chaplain Dave McBeth, left, leads an informal gathering of personnel aboard Naval Support Activity (NSA) Naples during a Europe-wide coordinated two-minute moment of silence held throughout the [[European Union]] in relation to the [[7 July 2005 London bombings|2005 London Bombings]].]]

A '''moment of silence''' (also referred to as a '''minute's silence''' or a '''one-minute silence''') is a period of [[Silence#Commemorative silence|silent]] [[contemplation]], [[prayer]], [[self-reflection|reflection]], or [[meditation]]. 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]].

A minute, or 60 seconds, is a common length of time for the [[memorialization]], though organizers may choose other periods of time, normally connected in some way with the event being commemorated (there might be a minute given for every death commemorated, for example). During a moment of silence, its participants may typically bow their heads, remove their hats, and refrain from speaking, or moving, for the duration of it.

==Origins==
{{see also|Two-minute silence}}
The first recorded instance of an official moment of silence dedicated to a dead person took place in Portugal on 13 February 1912. The Portuguese Senate dedicated 10 minutes of silence to [[José Paranhos, Baron of Rio Branco|José Maria da Silva Paranhos Júnior]], baron of [[Rio Branco, Acre|Rio Branco]], Brazil, and Minister of the Exterior of the Brazilian government, who had died three days earlier on 10 February. The moment of silence was registered in the Senate's records of that day.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Debates Parlamentares - Diário 039, p. 2 (1912-02-13)|url = http://debates.parlamento.pt/catalogo/r1/cs/01/01/02/039/1912-02-13/2|website = debates.parlamento.pt|access-date = 2016-01-01 |quote=O Sr. Presidente: Tenho de cumprir o doloroso dever de comunicar ao Senado o falecimento, no Rio de Janeiro, do Barão do Rio Branco, que ilustrou grandemente o seu nome, tanto pela maneira como dirigiu os negócios diplomáticos do Brasil como pela erudição manifestada nas suas obras, e que muito honrou a sua origem lusitana. (Apoiados gerais). Além disso devemos lembrar-nos de que o Barão do Rio Branco era Ministro do Govêrno que primeiro reconheceu a República Portuguesa. (Apoiados gerais). Por consideração, pois, para com todos êstes aspectos daquele vulto notável, proponho que a sessão seja interrompida durante 10 minutos, conservando-se os Srs. Senadores sentados nos seus lugares e silenciosos durante êsse espaço de tempo. (Apoiados gerais). Às 14 horas e 45 minutos foi, portanto, suspensa a sessão, reabrindo-se às 14 e 55 minutos.<br />''The President: I must fulfill the painful duty of communicating to the Senate the death in Rio de Janeiro of the baron of Rio Branco, who made his name illustrious with the manner in which he conducted the diplomatic business of Brazil as well as with the erudition manifested in his work, and who honored his Portuguese origins with grandeur. Furthermore, we must remember that the baron of Rio Branco was a Minister of the government that first recognized the Portuguese Republic. Thus, in consideration of all these aspects related to this notable figure, I propose that the session be interrupted for 10 minutes, with the Senators remaining on their seats in silence for that period of time. At 14 hours and 45 minutes the session was therefore suspended, reopening at 14 hours and 55 minutes.''}}</ref> In the same year, large parts of the United States kept a ceremonial silence to honour the dead of the ''[[USS Maine (ACR-1)|Maine]]'' and the ''[[Titanic]]''.<ref>{{cite book|title=A book of silence|last=Maitland|first=Sara|location=Berkeley, CA|publisher=Counterpoint|isbn=9781619021426|date=2010}}</ref>

The first person to publicly suggest a moment's silence as a vessel to hold the sorrow and loss of war was either by South African author and politician [[James Percy FitzPatrick]] or by Australian journalist [[Edward George Honey]], himself a World War I veteran.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-11-08 |title=The little-known origin of the minute's silence |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-09/edward-honey-origin-of-the-one-minutes-silence/10461280 |access-date=2022-03-05}}</ref> While the Australian government claims Honey was the originator of the idea as it pertained to war remembrance, there are no primary sources to conclusively confirm a date in which Honey's proposal predated FitzPatrick's. Nevertheless, each person's idea was conceived less than a year from each other, so it's possible the shared idea was a matter of [[parallel thinking]].

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".{{#tag:ref|This is somewhat at odds with the fact that the  Two Minute Silent Pause of Remembrance for the war dead had continued to be held daily in Cape Town until May 1919.<ref name="Abrahams">{{cite web|url=https://tanniemossie.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/cape-town_s-wwi-mayor-sir-harry-hands.pdf|title=Cape Town's WWI Mayor - Sir Harry Hands|author=J.C.Abrahams (Tannie Mossie|access-date=16 December 2018}}</ref>|group=Note}} Harding also acknowledges that, despite extensive research, no evidence of Honey's attendance at any rehearsal at Buckingham Palace, nor any record of an official communication mentioning Honey's letter having played a part in the adoption of the remembrance tradition, could be found, and that the only "proof" was that the letter preceded the formal approach to the King by several months. However he also writes that "Sir Percy's right to recognition for bringing the matter to official notice does not detract in any way from Honey's right to recognition as the first to make the suggestion."<ref name="Harding">{{cite book |last=Harding |first=Eric |title=Remembrance Day silence: First proposed by Edward George Honey, Australian journalist (Supplementing article by Mrs. M.F. Orford, Victorian Historical Magazine, November 1961) |date=May 1965 |publisher=Eric Harding |place=Melbourne |oclc=220250498}}</ref>

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).<ref>{{cite web |title=A period of silence |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/customs-and-ceremony/silence |website=Australian War memorial}}</ref> However, Honey's wife (whom he called "Millie"), as reported by her friend M.F. Orford's 1961 article, states that he "never went out into the streets near the crowds at any time during the observance of the Silence...", and they only heard about the observance of the first Two Minutes' Silence when the order was announced by Buckingham Palace.<ref name="Orford">{{cite web |title='Lest We Forget - A Tribute to the late Edward George Honey' by M. F. Orford |url=http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/115944 |access-date=14 November 2018 |website=State Library Victoria |publisher=Victorian historical magazine 1961, Issue 126, pages 119-123}}</ref>

==Examples==
[[File:Valtioneuvoston jäsenten hiljainen hetki presidentti Ahtisaaren muistolle 18.10.2023 - A moment of silence for the members of the Finnish Government in memory of President Ahtisaari 18 10 2023 03.jpg|thumb|The [[Finnish Government|Finnish cabinet]] holds a minute of silence following the death of former Finnish President [[Martti Ahtisaari]] on 18 October 2023.]]
Many people in the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] observe the [[two-minute silence]] at 11:00 local time on 11 November each year ([[Armistice Day]]) to remember sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war. In addition, a two minutes of silence is also observed in the United Kingdom on the second Sunday of November which is more recently known as [[Remembrance Sunday]] and is televised with a close up image of the [[Big Ben]] clock chiming 11 and the buglers sounding the [[Last Post]] at 11:02{{nbsp}}[[Time in the United Kingdom|UTC]].

In Australia and New Zealand, the ceremony was quickly adopted for commemorations held at dawn on [[ANZAC Day]], 25 April. This moment of silence is held to remember the service men and women who died in WWI and subsequent conflicts.

In Israel, moments of silence are held in memory of the victims of [[the Holocaust]] on [[Yom HaShoah]] and in memory of fallen soldiers and of terrorist victims on [[Yom HaZikaron|the day before Israel's independence day]].

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 of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|atomic bombings]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony |url=http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/shimin/shimin/shikiten/shikiten-e.html |access-date=2022-02-28 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090917094111/http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/shimin/shimin/shikiten/shikiten-e.html |archive-date=17 September 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Moments of silence are often observed prior to other events including gatherings such as sports matches, with reasons for silences ranging from national and international [[Tragedy (event)|tragedies]] or to the death of individuals connected to a group.

In recent years, in the United Kingdom and Israel, the minute's silence at sports events has been replaced by a minute of [[applause]].<ref name="UK">{{Cite web |last=Berlins |first=Marcel |date=2007-09-11 |title=Marcel Berlins: Can applause really replace the minute's silence? |url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/sep/12/comment.comment2 |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref name="HE">{{Cite news |last=הלפרין |first=אילן |date=2011-01-08 |title=דקת הוקרה במקום דקת דומיה - גם בישראל? |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4010407,00.html |access-date=2022-03-13 |work=Ynet |language=he}}</ref>

In Ukraine, a minute of silence is observed every day at 09:00{{nbsp}}[[Time in Ukraine|EET]] to commemorate the victims of [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russia's invasion of the country]]. It was officially designated by a presidential decree on 16 March 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 March 2022 |title=УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №143/2022 |url=https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/1432022-41729 |website=[[Office of the President of Ukraine]] |language=uk}}</ref>

{{Infobox anthem
| title         = {{lang|id|italic=no|Mengheningkan Cipta}}
| english_title = 'Moment of Silence'
| alt_title     = Mengheningkan Tjipta{{small|(old spelling)}}
| en_alt_title  = 
| image         = 
| image_size    = 
| caption       = 
| prefix        = National moment of silence
| country       = Indonesia
| author        = {{ill|Truno Prawit|id}}, c. 1950s
| lyrics_date   = 
| composer      = Truno Prawit
| music_date    =
| adopted       = c. 10 December 1958
| until         = 
| sound         = }}

In [[Indonesia]], moment of silence is called {{lang|id|Mengheningkan Cipta}} and is always accompanied with a rendition of a hymn of the same name, composed by [[Surakarta Sunanate]] musician {{ill|Truno Prawit|id}}. This tradition was said to originate at the behest of [[Sukarno]] in the 1958 [[Heroes' Day#Indonesia|Heroes' Day]] ceremony in [[Ambon, Maluku|Ambon]].{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

==Silent prayer==

Silent prayer as a mode of prayer has antecedents in the [[Bible]],<ref>{{Cite book |title=Samuel 1, 1,13}}</ref> and [[Jews]] have been praying silently for thousands of years.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Brachot |pages=31a}}</ref>

[[Quakers]] have practiced silent worship for more than 300 years, believing that all people have the light of God within and that no priestly intercession is needed for the divine to speak. Silent worship in Quaker meetings is seldom entirely silent, and individuals speak as they are moved to by the spirit.

The larger society perhaps adopted the practice of silent prayer in public gatherings because silence contains no statements or assumptions concerning beliefs. 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. Today, the moment of silence is used to avoid offending people with religious pontification and to empower individuals to interpret the moment as they wish.

In the US colonial period, [[Pennsylvania]] Quakers did not worship together with non-Quakers, except those who might become converts. They were separatists and did not pray in ecumenical gatherings or in service to institutions.

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|date=November 2018}}

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.

==In United States schools==
[[File:White House silence return Tucson 2011.jpg|thumb|First Lady [[Michelle Obama]] and President [[Barack Obama]] return to the White House after leading a moment of silence for the victims of the [[2011 Tucson shooting]].]]
The [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] ruled in 1962 that official organization, sponsorship, or endorsement of [[school prayer]] in public schools is forbidden by the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution]]. Teachers and school officials may not lead classes in prayer, but prayer is permitted at voluntary religious clubs, and students are not prohibited from praying themselves. Other rulings have forbidden public, organized prayer at school assemblies, sporting events, and similar school-sponsored activities.

Public moments of silence in the United States both arise from and contribute to this debate over prayer and the [[Separation of church and state in the United States|separation of church and state]]. A moment of silence lacks any specific religious formulation, and therefore it has been presented as a way of creating reflection and respect without endorsing any particular religion.

President [[Ronald Reagan]] was a supporter of a moment of silence in American schools. In 1981, Reagan formally [[Ronald Reagan#Organized prayer|proposed a constitutional amendment]] permitting organized prayer in public schools.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/18/us/reagan-proposes-school-prayer-amendment.html|title = Reagan Proposes School Prayer Amendment|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 18 May 1982}}</ref> In his 1984 state of the union address, Reagan asked Congress, who begin their day with an invocation: "If you can begin your day with a member of the clergy standing right here leading you in prayer, then why can't freedom to acknowledge God be enjoyed again by children in every schoolroom across this land?"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=40205|title = Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union &#124; the American Presidency Project}}</ref> [[Colin Powell]], a longtime advocate, has recommended a simple moment of silence at the start of each school day. Further, he states that students could use this interval to pray, meditate, contemplate or study.<ref>Colin Powel, {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20141026194705/http://www.religioustolerance.org/ps_pra6.htm A "MOMENT OF SILENCE" IN PLACE OF PRAYER IN U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS]}}. Religious Tolerance.</ref>

However, critics often view the moment of silence as publicly endorsing prayer "in disguise". This issue has been especially raised by [[atheist]] groups and advocates, who argue that no non-religious purpose is served by designating an official moment of silence.{{Citation needed|date=October 2007}} Moments of silence point to the tension in the U.S. Constitution and society between accommodation and endorsement. Accommodation of religion is to ensure an environment where a person or student can practice their religion. A question with "moments of silence" laws is whether accommodation was already achieved by the fact that a student can pray or meditate on his/her own without an official moment of silence. 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. The addition of the word 'pray' where it wasn't needed clearly shows that legislators intended to promote religion, and that's not their job."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.au.org/2009/02/04/moment-of-litigation-mandatory-moment-of-silence-in-texas-schools-faces-court-test/ |title=Moment of Litigation: Mandatory Moment Of Silence In Texas Schools Faces Court Test |publisher=Blog.au.org |access-date=2012-07-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928151610/http://blog.au.org/2009/02/04/moment-of-litigation-mandatory-moment-of-silence-in-texas-schools-faces-court-test/ |archive-date=28 September 2011 }}</ref> Courts have stated on these moments of silence cases that a secular purpose is necessary and according to ''Wallace v. Jaffree'', a "statute must be invalidated if it is entirely motivated by a purpose to advance religion."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=472&invol=38 |title=Wallace V. Jaffree |publisher=Caselaw.lp.findlaw.com |access-date=2012-07-15}}</ref>

Although since 1976 the state [[Virginia]] law permitted school districts to implement 60 seconds of silence at the start of each school day,<ref>{{cite web|title=Code of Virginia § 22.1–203 |url=https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/22.1-203/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001021202118/http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000%2Bcod%2B22.1-203 |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 October 2000 |publisher=Leg1.state.va.us |access-date=2012-11-11 }}</ref> in 1985, the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] ruled that an [[Alabama]] "moment of silence or voluntary prayer" law was unconstitutional, in the case ''[[Wallace v. Jaffree]]''. In April 2000, a new law came into being; requiring all Virginian public school students to observe a moment of silence.<ref name="currentevents">{{cite news | url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EPF/is_16_100/ai_70362014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211130100/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EPF/is_16_100/ai_70362014 | url-status=dead | archive-date=11 February 2006 | title= Gotta Minute? – Virginia enacts minute of silence in schools | work=Current Events |date=26 January 2001}}</ref> 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.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}} In October 2007, Illinois enacted legislation to require public schools to provide students with a moment of silence at the start of the school day, a statute that was challenged in Illinois state courts. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Alabama, Georgia,<ref>See {{cite court |litigants=Bown v. Gwinnett County School District |vol=112 |reporter=F.3d |opinion=1464 |court=11th Cir. |date=1997 |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/112/1464/585284/ |access-date=2017-11-02 }}</ref> Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia also require such moments of quiet in the classroom. In more than 20 other states, teachers are allowed to decide whether they want such a classroom time-out.

In October 2000, the U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton ruled that the "moment of silence" law was constitutional.<ref name="currentevents" /><ref>{{cite news | url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_32_117/ai_67492610 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102220028/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_32_117/ai_67492610 | url-status=dead | archive-date=2 November 2007 | title=Court upholds Virginia's 'moment of silence' | work=Christian Century |date=15 November 2000}}</ref> Judge Hilton stated, "The court finds that the Commonwealth's daily observance of one minute of silence act is constitutional. The act was enacted for a secular purpose, does not advance or inhibit religion, nor is there excessive entanglement with religion... Students may think as they wish – and this thinking can be purely religious in nature or purely secular in nature. All that is required is that they sit silently."<ref>"Court upholds constitutionality of 'silence' law", Baptist Joint Committee. Report from the Capital, 2000-NOV-7, Page 3.</ref> His ruling was upheld in the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit|4th circuit]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A45861-2001Jul24 | title=Va. Minute of Silence in Schools Is Upheld: Federal Judges Rule Law Is Not Unconstitutional | author=Brooke A. Masters | date= 25 July 2001 | pages=B01 | newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals: Brown v. Gilmore|url=http://pacer.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinion.pdf/002132.P.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040804073259/http://pacer.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinion.pdf/002132.P.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 August 2004|publisher=Pacer.ca4.iscourts.gov|date=24 July 2001}}</ref> Others argued that the law was not enacted for a secular purpose, pointing to statements made by supporters of the legislation.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} State Senator Charles R. Hawkins (R-Pennsylvania) stated the moment of silence is "a very small measure to address a very large problem." He also said, "Prayer is not a bad word in my vocabulary." Kent Willis, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, stated lawmakers are "at the very least placing Virginia law right on the line of separation of church and state or they are crossing it . . . the state is playing with fire here."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/virginia-senate-oks-schools-moment-silence |title=Virginia Senate OKs Schools' Moment of Silence |publisher=Aclu.org |date=1 February 2000 |access-date=2012-07-15}}</ref>

The [[American Civil Liberties Union]] was opposed to a proposed constitutional amendment by [[Newt Gingrich]] in the early 1990s which would have set aside a voluntary moment of prayer during the school day, which was later independently described by President [[Bill Clinton]] as a "moment of silence".

== Association football ==
[[File:Jim Langley minute silence.jpg|thumb|A minute of silence before a [[2007–08 Premier League]] match between [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] and [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] following the death of footballer [[Jim Langley]]]]When a [[Terrorism|terrorist attack]] occurs, association football federations can order minutes of silence for upcoming matches as a gesture of respect for victims who were killed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bouchancourt |first=Jérôme |date=20 October 2023 |title=Une minute de silence ce week-end sur tous les terrains |url=https://footamateur.ouest-france.fr/une-minute-de-silence-ce-week-end-sur-tous-les-terrains/ |accessdate=20 October 2023 |website=footamateur.fr |language=French}}</ref>

In November 2016, [[LaMia Flight 2933]], carrying the [[Associação Chapecoense de Futebol|Chapecoense]] football club to the first leg of the [[2016 Copa Sudamericana finals]], crashed in Colombia, killing nearly all of its members. Most European football federations ordered a minute of silence following the crash.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 November 2016 |title=Chapecoense: une minute de silence prévue avant le clasico |url=https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/football/liga/chapecoense-une-minute-de-silence-prevue-avant-le-clasico-barca-real_AN-201611300197.html |access-date=30 November 2016 |website=BFM TV |language=French}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1 December 2016 |title=Minute de silence pour Chapecoense en Ligue des Champions |url=https://www.voaafrique.com/a/crash-colombie-footballeurs-bresil-chapecoense-minute-silence-avion-bresil/3618918.html |access-date=1 December 2016 |website=voaafrique.com |language=French}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1 December 2016 |title=Minute de silence en Bundesliga après le drame de Chapecoense |url=https://www.voaafrique.com/a/minute-de-silence-en-bundesliga-apres-le-drame-de-chapecoense/3618843.html |access-date=1 December 2016 |website=voaafrique.com |language=French}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=29 November 2016 |title=Crash en Colombie. Une minute de silence avant les matches de Ligue 1 |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/sport/football/crash-en-colombie-une-minute-de-silence-avant-les-matches-de-ligue-1-4644460 |access-date=29 November 2016 |website=Ouest France |language=French}}</ref> On the planned date of the final, a memorial was organised by Nacional and [[Medellín]] City Council to honor the deceased persons from the crash. About forty five thousand people were present inside the stadium.<ref>{{cite web |last=Griffin |first=Oliver |date=1 December 2016 |title=Medellin extends hand of friendship to Brazil in remembering fallen from Chapecoense |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/01/medellin-extends-hand-friendship-brazil-remembering-fallen-chapecoense/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/01/medellin-extends-hand-friendship-brazil-remembering-fallen-chapecoense/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=1 December 2016 |title="¡Vamos, vamos Chapé!": el emotivo homenaje en el Atanasio Girardot |url=http://www.futbolred.com/copa-sudamericana/homenaje-al-chapecoense-en-el-estadio-atanasio-girardot-de-medellin+16763106 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202125213/http://www.futbolred.com/copa-sudamericana/homenaje-al-chapecoense-en-el-estadio-atanasio-girardot-de-medellin+16763106 |archive-date=2 December 2016 |access-date=1 December 2016 |website=Futbolred.com |language=es}}</ref> In January 2019, footballer [[Emiliano Sala]] was killed in a plane crash, and minutes of silence were subsequently observed before [[2018–19 Premier League|Premier League]], [[2018–19 Ligue 1|Ligue 1]] and [[UEFA|European competitions]] matches.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 February 2019 |title=Une minute de silence en hommage à Emiliano Sala avant les matches de Ligue des champions et de Ligue Europa |url=https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Une-minute-de-silence-en-hommage-a-emiliano-sala-avant-les-matches-de-ligue-des-champions/987930 |website=[[L'Équipe]] |language=French}}</ref>

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Remembrance Day}}
* {{annotated link|Separation of church and state in the United States}}
* {{annotated link|Silent Minute}}
* {{annotated link|Two-minute silence}}
* {{annotated link|Vow of silence}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=492993 Nothing Really Matters], an article about the moment of silence by a [[Chabad]] rabbi
* [http://www.CroftPress.com/david/politics/moment/ Moment of Silence lawsuit in Texas]

Website encourages schools in a Moment of Silence 
Momentofsilence.info

MOS rebranded as a drug prevention tool
aQuietMoment.org

[[Category:Silence]]
[[Category:Prayer]]
[[Category:Meetings]]
[[Category:Death customs]]
[[Category:Acknowledgements of death]]