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“ Komboloy” comes from the Hellenic
words “kombos” meaning sound, noise, to strike, and “loy” meaning
something of the same material strung in a line.
The modern translation is “knot”.
Over the years,
at varying periods of time, komboloy are said to dispel anxiety, soothe the
soul, insure safe journeys, ward off the forces of darkness, and to bring good
luck.
Beads strung in a line have been used through
the ages for counting, praying, decorating the body, and for play. The komboloy is a by- product left over from the occupation
of Hellas by the Ottoman Empire. It
has nothing to do with prayer, or worrying for that matter.
The Turks used “tesbih” for prayer.
Turkish tesbih have 33 0r 99 beads plus the big bead, or “imam”.
The Greek komboloy has fewer beads, usually 17 or 19 with a tassel, and
the big beads, or “pappas”. The
beads are strung on a silk cord so that they may move freely during play.
Good komboloy must make good sound, be
attractive to the eye, small good, and must feel smooth to the touch.
For this reason, materials chosen to make komboloy
include aromatic woods, amber, coral, and the best of all is Faturan.
Faturan is the name of an Egyptian merchant who discovered this mixture
of amber and aromatic resins. In
the early years, the best Komboloy came from Egypt, and nowadays from Turkey.
Modern Greek shops also sell “begleri” made with 2 0r 4 beads, and
wrongly called komboloy. Most of these begleri are made from metal, glass, and
plastic. These
are often cheap tourist souvenirs that have
no tradition in Greece.
Traditionally,
the komboloy is seen in the hands of men in
the village coffee houses. Recently,
it has become a kind of fashion statement for both growing young men, as well as
some young women, rebelling against the old ways.
For a time after the Hellenic revolution and independence from the
Ottoman Empire, in 1821, the Komboloy was used by ‘Mangas”, or punks and
hooligans. During the reformation,
the Greek Prime Minister, Harilos Trikoupis (1864 – 1909) ordered the chief of
police, Bayraktaris, to remove weapons as well as the komboloy from the hooligan
society, thus causing a temporary ban on playing komboloy in Greece.
After the death of Trikoupis, the komboloy slowly found its way back into
Greek society.
For further reading:
*Komboloy
And Its History,
by Ares Evangelanos
*The
Collection of Rosaries in the United States National Museum ,
by Immanuel M. Casanowicz
*O
Dromos Tou Anthropou ke Tou Kompologiou, by Tasos
Thomaides and Anna Papamarkou
