History of komboloi
A story of years
...from then till today
Komboloi is a very popular item, especially for men, which has a very long history. The komboloi comes from the words "knot" and "scholar" (collection). Another version says that the word komboloi comes from the phrase "I say a prayer for every knot", since it seems that the komboloi evolved from the rosary. Many times we can see people, either when walking, or when sitting in a cafe, holding a komboloi in their hand. They do this mainly because the rosary offers moments of relaxation and fun.
The first appearance of komboloi
The komboloi first appeared in India in 500 BC. about in the form of a prayer book. The Buddhists and Indians called it “Japa Mala” or simply “Mala” and used it to count their prayers or to count the “Mantra”, meaning a sacred phrase or word that they repeated during their meditation. The Tibetan prayer book consisted of 108 beads, which were very tightly tied together.
However, there are testimonies that indicate that there were prayer books which consisted of a much lower number of beads, such as 18, 27 or 54. The prayer book at that time was mainly used for meditation, reflection and peace of mind. It is said that the materials from which the komboloi of that period were made were sandalwood, various types of wood and coral, which was very rare and expensive because its collection was banned at the time.
Komboloi during the Turkish occupation
The komboloi later passed into the hands of the Muslims and its name was changed to “Desbih” and “Tesbihi”. The beads became 99, a number intertwined with the number of prayers that the faithful had to say at that time. In fact, during the Turkish occupation, the komboloi, in addition to being useful for the prayers of the faithful, was also a means of demonstrating power and wealth. It spread relatively quickly to all social strata and the bead material also testified to the social position of the person who held it. For example, the most affluent kept rosaries made of very expensive and rare materials such as mastic and amber.On the contrary, the poorest held komboloi which were made of materials of lesser value and less rare.
Kompoloi in Greece
The komboloi as we know it today, appeared in our country for the first time during the Turkish occupation. In fact, at that time it changed shape, as the beads could now be rolled on the rope and the komboloi could be turned in the hand. The change in the form of the komboloi by the Greeks had been translated as a sign of protest against the Turkish yoke. Others said they just wanted to keep their hands busy as handshakes were banned by the Turks at the time. At that time the name of the komboloi was changed, taking the one we still use today.Thus, the Greeks not only changed the name and form of the komboloi, but over time they also changed its use as it changed from a means of prayer to a means of fun and relaxation, as we use it today.