Komboloi: the fascinating history behind Cyprus’ worry beads

How the item and its familiar clicking became a cultural symbolFor many in Cyprus, the komboloi needs little introduction. Often seen in the hands of someone sitting outside a coffee shop or passing time walking down the street, the repetitive sound of beads moving without thought is familiar. Even though it has become such a recognisable part of everyday life, its history is probably lesser known. The komboloi is often translated into English as ‘worry beads’, but it is neither just a way to keep restless hands busy nor, despite its appearance, a religious object. Its story goes back through centuries of prayer beads, across different cultures and religions before eventually becoming closely associated with everyday life in Cyprus and Greece. That familiar clicking sound is an integral part of what makes a komboloi a komboloi. Unlike prayer beads, traditionally used for counting prayers, the komboloi is designed so that the beads can move freely up and down the string, making sound. “Sound is the basic element,” explains manager of the Komboloi Museum in Nafplio Eleni Evangelinou. Founded in 1998, the museum traces the object’s roots through Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic traditions before reaching the Greek komboloi. It is difficult to determine exactly when the komboloi came into being, but Evangelinou places its emergence around the beginning of the 19th century. After centuries of Ottoman rule, Greeks would have been familiar with Muslim prayer beads, from which she says the komboloi was inspired. The object that emerged, however, was no longer religious. The space between its beads allowed for movement and sound, giving it an entirely different purpose. For Evangelinou, the movement itself is significant. She explains that the transformation reflected a desire among the Greeks to express their need to regain freedom. “There is sound, there is speech. There is freedom of movement,” she says. A change in attitude Although now strongly connected with Greek and Cypriot culture, the komboloi was not always so. It was once associated with people of lower socioeconomic backgrounds and, most probably for this reason, with “laziness”, says Evangelinou. It later became closely connected with the rembetiko culture, while people of a higher social or educational standing were less likely to be seen carrying one. Over the years, however, attitudes shifted and the komboloi became an object of prestige, carrying a special significance for each person. For founder of Cyprus-based Kombologia online shop Yiannis Ioannou, craftsmanship is part of what makes the object more complex than how it first appears. Ioannou grew up surrounded by beads, tools and materials in his father’s jewellery workshop and eventually began making komboloi himself. “A well-made piece may look simple, but much of the real work is hidden in the knots, joins, spacing and balance,” he says, adding that even the smallest decisions can change the outcome of how a komboloi moves and feels in the hand. The materials are also diverse. Traditionally, they included amber, horn, ebony, olive wood as well as shell, coral and mother of pearl, gemstones and even seeds and pits of fruit. Amber is especially popular now, with Ioannou saying the authentic Baltic amber is sought after due to its warmth, lightness and particular sound. The material also changes the experience of using one. Ioannou explains that different materials produce different sounds, while their weight and feel in the hand also influence how someone chooses and plays with a komboloi. History and patience However, high quality materials did not always dictate the value of a komboloi. According to Ioannou, there are stories of people incarcerated in prisons and other detention facilities making their own using olive pits, rubbing each end against a wall until reaching the natural hole through which a string could be threaded. For him, such stories demonstrate that the history and patience involved in making a komboloi can carry just as much value as the materials used. Perhaps one reason the komboloi has endured has less to do with what it is made from and more with how it feels in the hand. Ioannou says that people who buy komboloi describe the rhythmic movements, sound and weight of the beads as having a calming effect. The use of the beads becomes a habit to such an extent that the komboloi becomes an “extension of the hand”, as Ioannou describes it. While some customers use the komboloi when taking their morning cup of coffee, some have said it was helpful to occupy hands when trying to quit smoking. The attachment to the object can run much deeper than most people think. Ioannou has had people travel miles to get back a lost komboloi, and some have even sent him old photos hoping he will be able to recreate ones they have lost. Although the komboloi may bring up images of an old man in a coffee shop, its customer base is slowly shifting. As Evangelinou and Ioannou both point out, more and more women and young people are becoming interested in the komboloi. Either collecting them or using them for relaxation, or simply to feel connected to tradition. However, Evangelinou believes that the appeal of the komboloi is very personal, with each person developing their own relationship with the object. “It’s a companion. It’s a friend,” she says. Every person forms a different connection with his or her own komboloi. Komboloi Museum: https://www.komboloi.gr/ Kombologia: https://www.kombologia.com/