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Rosary beads can be traced back almost a millenium. But what are they, and what do they mean?

Rosary beads can be traced back almost a millenium. But what are they, and what do they mean?

First and foremost they are prayer beads. By themselves prayer beads are used in many religions. They are a way of focussing on a prayerful devotion, and to create a structure for prayer.

The traditional rosary said by catholics has five decades of ten beads each, with starting beads, and a larger bead in between decades. A crucifix hangs from the end of the rosary. Each decade symbolises one event in the gospel. The events are grouped into mysteries of five events and decades each. As each bead slips through the fingers, a simple prayer is said, depending on the position of the bead. The life, death and resurrection of Christ are each represented as mysteries connecting the core events of biblical tradition into a single long prayer.

The name rosary means a garland of roses. It is interesting that this scent is associated with many marian apparitions. The rosary is considered a thing of beauty.

There is a darker side, such as the stories of Maximillian Kolbe sentenced to death in auschwitz, Immaculee Illibagiza in hiding from the Rwandan genocide, who used the rosary in the darkest of times, whilst hiding in a tiny room for almost a year, to avoid mass slaughter. Even the priests at the epicentre of the nuclear explosion at Hiroshima attribute their survival to it.

Many Miracles have been attributed to penances and prayers of the rosary, and special dispensations have been offered to those who say them, at events such as Fatima.

The chaplet of divine mercy is also a prayer that uses the beads.

Not all favour the rosary, indeed protestants think they symbolize erroneous doctrine.

To some they are now reduced to be just a fashion statement devoid of all meaning. A top footballer and personality was seen wearing them, seen as sacrilege to those who accept their meaning.

And for the third millennium the beads now appear as an iphone application, it is hard to see them surviving so long on an iphone. What will replace it in 1000 years from now? The changing face of Rosary Beads.