The word rosary can mean the beads that Catholics use to "count" prayers. The word beads is actually derived from the Anglo word bedes which meant prayers. Or rosary can mean the actual prayers and events that are said or remembered when praying a rosary. The site The Holy Rosary has an excellent explanation of the rosary, the prayers, the order in which you say them and the 15 "mysteries" that are to be remembered while prayers are said.
I like the use of the word mystery. It is indeed mysterious how the word could become flesh or how the Holy Spirit descended. I think recalling these events such as mysteries or supernatural events helps call down the power of God into our daily lives. On the other hand, not recognizing significant religious events as supernatural merely leaves our religion powerless, devoid of the forces of the other world.
History of the Rosary
Private prayer has always been encouraged by the Church, especially for both morning and evening. By the third century, it was the custom for Christians to gather for morning prayers and religious instruction. Then they gathered again in the evening to share a meal and ritual blessing of candles.
The morning gathering was called lauds, Latin for praise, and the evening event was called vespers, Latin for evening star.
During the fifth century these services became less and less popular. The priests who conducted the services were continuing to use Latin, while the common people were developing their vernacular.
Another development during the fifth century increased the differences between the laity and the clergy. Monastic life spread in the fifth century and within the monasteries the schedules for prayers became more rigorous. Since a significant number of people were residing within monastery walls and readily available for prayer, it was easy to increase the number of prayer times from two to seven. The prayers, scriptures, and hymns for these seven times a day were called the Divine Office. The trend towards this kind of rigorous devotional life never caught on among the laity outside monastery walls who had much to do from morning to night.
By the eighth century, lauds and vespers were discontinued for laity and daily mass was substituted.
But people were still interested in some kind of systematic prayer life. Many people, especially those who could not read, began to use short prayers instead of the Latin readings used by priests and monks. The first substitution the public made was to daily say 150 Our Fathers in lieu of the 150 Psalms that the monks did. By the 12th century, Hail Mary's substituted for the Our Fathers and the mysteries were added. According to tradition St. Dominic popularized the rosary in the 12th century.
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