The History of Rosary Beads
By Cris Harrold
The rosary beads date back to the twelfth century when Mary appeared to Saint Dominic. It was during this time that Mary vowed a promise to Dominic that if he spread the rosary's devotions, he would find peace. However, the original rosary held different beads from those of present time.
When the first sets of rosaries were crafted they contained 150 beads. This number mirrors the set of psalms that are contained within the bible. For those who didn't know or have access to the written psalms to pray on a regular basis, they could move through the string of beads and pray to God. This was especially beneficial for individuals who had no way of learning the written language, or blind.
Rosary beads however were not always strung together. The original sets of beads were stones carried in the pocket of an individual, and they would be sorted through as they prayed each prayer. It wouldn't be until much later that the actual beads were strung together.
The first Catholic rosaries were made from objects such a bone and stone. Over the course of time rosaries have evolved and have been crafted from wood, glass, metal, and precious stones. In poorer countries the Catholic rosary beads are usually made from seeds and dried flowers. More often than not the material used to create the rosary bead has some sort of religious significance. Sometimes they are crafted from wood directly from the Holy Land; others are glass beads that contain holy water, or religious relics. The purpose of these specially designed rosaries is to help the devoted bond closer with God. The string that would bind the rosaries together was most commonly made from silk. In recent times metal links have become a more common method of linking together the beads.
What some do not realize is that before the rosary the 'Hail Mary' didn't exist. Rather, the devoted would pray the 'Our Father' on their rosary beads. The prayer stemmed from an introduction of the angel Gabrielle was added just prior to the 'Our Father'. Over time the full prayer was added to the prayers of the rosaries the finalized version we say today coming into play in the sixteenth century. Those devoted that want to glimpse an original set of rosary beads can find one aboard the carrack Mary Rose.
In recent years, rosaries have become a stronger part of the Catholic religion. Originally in the 16th century, Pope St. Pius V made the church approved set of mysteries. However in 2002 Pope John Paul II announced that a new set would be prayed called the Illumines Mysteries. This brought the set to 20 mysteries. October 7 is the day used to celebrate the rosary.
Today we find that the Dominican rosary contains 59 beads. They are divided into ten sections which are called "decades". These beads are crafted with a larger bead used to say the 'Our Father' prayer followed by ten smaller beads used to say the 'Hail Mary'.
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