The No Side Effects Komboloi
Adara sipped her tea as she absorbed her new surroundings. The odor of fresh paint was still evident in each room. She glanced at the cupboards and the electric outlets and the sink and wondered how many souls had lived there before moving on to their destiny elsewhere. Would memories left behind from those past inhabitants awaken her in the middle of the night and demand an audience? Would she lose herself in the anonymity of the city awaiting just outside her door? Would she miss her family as much as her heart predicted she would?
Adara dreaded the answers and automatically retrieved a string of beads from one of her pockets. She began massaging and rotating each bead in sequence, letting each one fall to its new position on the string. So many questions! More questions than beads. Still, she continued to "work" the strand, almost absent-mindedly. Their smooth surface and the soft sound the beads made as they slipped down the string seemed to ease her anxiety.
Komboloi (com-bo-LOY) - strands of beads or knots - are known throughout Greece for their tension-relieving qualities. Their origin is somewhat up for grabs as some credit their arrival to be mere decades ago and others believe they're an offspring of Turkish "prayer beads".
Greek "worry beads" differ from prayer beads though, in that they are used as attention distractors rather than devotional prayer counters. Prayer beads are usualy "fixed" and immoveable on the strand, while Komboloi beads are meant to move along and bump-click into one another, especially since the sound is an important part of their tranquility appeal.
Also prayer beads usually have several larger or "different" beads separating an equal number of beads throughout the strand. And prayer beads often have a short fringe of beads at the strand's connecting point in order to accomodate more extensive recitation countings. Kombolois may have bead fringing, but often have a tassel or charm where the strand connects.
Further in comparison, a Buddist "Mala" contains 108 beads, equal to "the number of mental conditions or sinful desires" needed to be overcome. An Islamic "Subha" or "Tasbih" contains 99 beads, along with one larger one, for the "99 names of Allah found in the Koran". Christian (and some Catholic) strands have 33 beads pertaining to Jesus' age at death. And complete Catholic prayer beads usually have 150 beads. Worry beads usually contain between 16 and 23 beads.
Not quite prayer beads, not quite Chinese "Qi Gong" health balls, worry beads have their own unique place in the daily lives of many people in Greece. They're also considered to be a fashion statement and an item to be collected. Highly valued are the ones made from the more rare Arabian Kahraman Amber and any strands old enough to have a history behind them. Komboloi prices range from very cheap to as expensive as you're willing to pay, depending on the materials used. It's all personal preference.
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