Monday, November 24, 2014

Why Are Rosaries Called Rosaries?


rosary
Last week, while in the Portland (Oregon) area, I spent a day driving east along the Columbia River Gorge. Icy, windy, and cold, yet fabulously beautiful, I enjoyed every minute, both in and out of my car. You can see more of my scenic photos of the day here.

Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, winter ice
Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Nov. 2014
At the "Bridge of the Gods," I crossed the Columbia and headed east along the Washington shoreline toward Bingen, stopping to use the facilities at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum. Seeing a sign on the admission desk about "the world's largest collection of Rosaries, over 4,000 of them," and remembering that rosaries = beads, I decided to take the time to view the collection.

virtual reality photo of rosary collection
Virtual Reality Photo by Jim Cole - Rosary Collection, Housed at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum
You can hardly imagine 4,000 rosaries... so many different types of beads... simple seed pods to elegant gold-capped jet, and everything in between. From a bead lover's perspective, it was heaven (except, of course, I wanted to fondle them all). The "virtual reality" photo above, "borrowed" from the internet, gives a correct impression of the quantity. This rosary collection is the life-work of Don Brown, a founder of the regional historical society.

Here are a few of the photos I took of the collection:

rosaries from the Don Brown collection housed in the Columbia Gorge Museum

rosaries from the Don Brown collection housed in the Columbia Gorge Museum

rosaries from the Don Brown collection housed in the Columbia Gorge Museum

And now, finally, we get to the meat of this post! The word rosary... where did it come from? According to the online Etymology Dictionary, the word rosary dates to the mid 15th Century, and is derived from the Latin words rosarius, meaning "of roses" and rosarium, meaning "rose garden."

But wait, there's more to the story! In Medieval times, monasteries and castles had formal rose gardens, which provided baskets full of fresh rose petals from which to make beads for strands of prayer beads used by Monks and Noblemen. Of roses... the beads were made of roses, hence the term rosary, which over time was applied to most prayer strands (particularly those used by Catholics)  made from any type of beads.

A museum curator at a small natural history museum in Hungary, once showed me a 300-year-old rosary, the beads made from rose petals. "Cup it in your hands for a minute," she said, "and then smell it." WOW! After 300 years, it had the delicate fragrance of roses!

Rose-petal-beads don't look like much. They are matte black, imperfectly shaped, and a little bumpy or lumpy. Yet, in addition to their beautiful aroma, they have great character and charm.

The Don Brown collection includes several rose-petal-bead rosaries, most of which are toward the back of the display pegs. However, I'm willing to bet that the beads of the forward rosary on peg number 159 are made of rose petals.

rose petal beads, from the Don Brown collection housed in the Columbia Gorge Museum

How to Make Rose Petal Beads

YOU can make your own beads of rose petals! Collect a large basket full of fresh, dry (no mist or rain moisture) petals (early in the morning, when they are the most fresh). Mash the petals into a thick paste, using a mortar and pestle, or try grinding them in a meat grinder or food processor. The paste will be black. Allow excess moisture to evaporate for a few days if necessary, stirring several times a day. The natural rose fragrance may be enhanced with essential oil of rose.

Form the paste into bead-shaped balls. Side the newly formed balls onto a straight piece of stainless steel wire (piano wire, or similar). Place a row of balls on the wire, leaving a 1/4 inch space between each bead. Place the wire from side-to-side on the rim of a baking pan, and allow the beads to air-dry. The drying process can take weeks, depending on the humidity and room temperature. Turn the beads daily on the wire to prevent them from permanently adhering to it. Do not hasten drying by placing in an oven or direct sunlight, as they will dry on the outside and remain soft on the inside.

If there is absolutely no "give" when you squeeze them, the beads are ready to take off the wire and string. When properly dried, the beads are very hard and durable. Here is an on-line tutorial about making rose-petal-beads, a bit different than the way I've made them (described above), and very informative.

Other Exhibits at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum

Although my intent was to view the rosary collection and then get on my way, I could not help but take some extra minutes to see the Native American Beadwork/baskets and Vintage Quilt exhibits.

Native American beadwork and weaving, Columbia Gorge Museum

Native American beadwork, Columbia Gorge Museum

Native American beadwork, Columbia Gorge Museum

Native American weaving, Columbia Gorge Museum

Native American woven baskets, Columbia Gorge Museum

vintage quilt, feathered star, Columbia Gorge Museum
Feathered Star, c.1869, hand pieced and quilted, triangles are about 1/2" high

vintage quilt, feathered star, Columbia Gorge Museum, detail
Feathered Star, detail

vintage quilt, embroidered wildflowers, Columbia Gorge Museum
Embroidered Quilt, c. 1880, over 400 squares (3" each), wildflower designs embroidered with wool thread

vintage quilt, embroidered wildflowers, Columbia Gorge Museum, detail
Embroidered Quilt, detail showing wool thread embroidery on 3" wool fabric blocks
If you're thinking you might want to visit the Columbia Gorge Museum while vacationing with your husband, he might want to know there are lots of very manly things to see there, including this fabulous 1921 Mack logging truck, which still runs!

1921 Mack log truck, Columbia Gorge Museum
1921 Mack AC Log Truck - It Still Runs!
As always, you can click on any of the pictures to see a larger version (more detail). If your system operates like mine, you'll get a click through slide show of the photos in this post, starting with the one you clicked on.

16 comments:

  1. My mother had her wedding bouquet roses, made into a rosary! I believe by a nun. I don't have them, but I believe my older sister does. Yes, they still carry the scent, even though they're not 300 years old! Very interesting collection . I would have lingered as well!

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    1. I love your story about your mother's wedding bouquet. How wonderful is that. Maybe you could share them with your sister. I want to make enough to make a simple necklace I can wear, my body heat making the fragrance at all times!

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  2. Very cool info and pictures! Thanks for sharing. I haven't had much stitching mojo in months, but that embroidered quilt made my heart race!

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    1. Mine too, Marie!!!! I've been working on the chicks (as per the previous post), but now I'm fired up to do more! Thanks for commenting.

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  3. Thank you for this lovely post. A new world was opening. Ialways thought the word was derived from the garden the nuns walked in during their prayers...

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    1. I think most people have the same idea as you about the "rose garden," even the people who write etymology dictionaries and Wikipedia... because they don't know ANYTHING about beads. Even archaeologists missed the lessons in beads until recently. Thanks for commenting, Lies!

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  4. Oooh, what an intriguing thing to collect, Rosaries. Such a rich and beautiful history. I'll bet each one has it's own story. And I think I even spotted one bead that looked like a skull and cross bones. Now THERE'S a story waiting to be told!

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    1. Yes, Retta! That skull and cross bone bead is the reason for taking that particular photo. Judging from the other beads in the strand, it might be quite old. I'd really like to know the story about it. Thanks for being here, faithful as always!

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  5. There was a woman many years ago in Friday Harbor who made rose beads and sold them. Can't remember who it was. They were beautiful. Wish I could remember who it was. Janet Wright

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    1. Janet, if it comes to you, please let me know! Thanks.

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  6. This is a very informative blog post - I did not know any of it before. While reading, I had fun imagining you in the museum - a child in the playground, discovering more and more attractions!

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    1. Yes, I like that image... I try to let "Little Robin" play as she likes (although she would say, "not often enough"). She's happy with your comment!

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  7. I forgot: At the beginning of the post you mention being on the way to Bingen. There is a town called Bingen on the River Rhine, a lovely place, and with its share of a number of wine fests over the year, of course.

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    1. Hmmmm... it would be interesting to look into the derivation of the name of the Washington state town of Bingen... I'll do it, and report to you by email if there is a connection.

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  8. Lovely post Robin. In reply to your question, I found this -- "The word rosary comes from Latin and means a garland of roses, the rose being one of the flowers used to symbolize the Virgin Mary." It's a lovely image!

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  9. Thanks for commenting, Barbara. Various sources give slightly different interpretations to the Latin. I think the most common is "of roses" (not including "garden" or "garland" or any other word). Rosaries were called "rosaries" because they were made "of roses." Later the term began to be applied to prayer necklaces made of other materials as well.

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Thanks you for joining the discussion on this post today!