At present, the rosary, in spite of its belonging to the objects of religious worship, is increasingly used as ordinary jewelry. A kind of tribute to fashion with a religious bias. Meanwhile, this subject has a very specific direct purpose.
Seemingly ordinary or slightly exotic beads - rosary, owe their origin and existence to religion. Moreover, there is more than one religion. Rosary beads are widespread in Christianity, Buddhism and Islam.
The main function of the rosary
In all religions, the main role of the rosary was approximately the same. They served as a kind of counter of prayers read or various ritual actions performed. In addition, it is believed that the rosary helps to focus the believer's attention on prayer, and also symbolize the cyclical nature of life and the endless power of God. In each of the religions, the rosary also has a symbolic meaning, only inherent in this belief.
Role of rosary in various religions
In Christianity, rosary beads appeared in the fourth century AD. in Palestine. They consisted of 33 fruit seed beads and their number corresponded to the number of years lived by Christ.
In Russia, the number of grains in a rosary increased to one hundred. Although, depending on its purpose, these beads could contain from 20 to 150 beads.
Catholics have a rosary called a rosary (a crown of spring roses). They have 50 beads each and are divided into 5 decades. However, in some Catholic peoples and religious concessions, these beads have their own characteristics. For example, among the Basques, the rosary is made in the form of a ring that is worn on the finger. And it consists of a cross and 10 grains. The Franciscans, on the other hand, have increased the number of beads to seventy.
At present, in Catholicism, rosary is considered a church belonging.
Muslims have two types of rosary: round and flat. Flat ones consist of strung squares and rectangles and resemble a loose-leaf calendar
In a round rosary, the number of beads is always the same - 99. That is how many names Allah has. These rosary beads are separated by straps of 11 beads. This is due to the number of obligatory parts of the Muslim prayer.
Space, fire, air, earth and water mean the five multicolored threads of the Buddhist rosary. 108 beads made of yak bone are strung on these threads. The beads are divided by jumpers into 3 equal parts. A large pearl symbolizing the sign of Buddha is used as a lock on this rosary.
In the modern world, rosary beads are often used as ordinary jewelry. Large rosaries are worn instead of beads around the neck, and small ones on the wrist. It is believed that they have the power of a talisman, and some of them, made of a certain material, are also capable of protecting against many dangerous diseases.
