THE KOMBOLOI

The komboloi
A recent popular song used to declare: "I shall throw away my watch and buy a set of worry beads", which is exactly the symbolism of the komboloi. Even today you can see, usually, an elderly man dawdling along the pier, his hands behind his back playing around with the beads. Or men (usually) sitting around the kafenion table, arguing, and playing on their beads with a greater degree of agitation as the argument heats up. These beads are not religious, they are not some kind of Orthodox rosary (though you will see many priests swinging them along as well), they are just a way of passing the time, keeping your hands occupied, which is why in recent time they have been promoted as an excellent way to give up smoking. In recent times also, more and more women have taken up the habit of swinging around a set of worry beads which was never done before, but that is why more sophisticated fashion conscious (even designer?) sets of worry beads are being produced more and more. As to whether they do help give up smoking...? Well, another dismal statistic is that Greek women have started to smoke more than ever before!

/D.P.