We are back for a third night in Nafpoli
having had another couple of days on the beaches nearby and a day at the
nearby ancient site of Epidavrus. We have grown quite fond of Nafpoli which has the
first, and reputedly only, Komboloi (worry
bead) Museum ‘in the world’.
Having paid my €2 entry fee I climbed
up the creaky wooden stairs to the first floor. As I arrived a family of 3 left
– just as well really as the four ‘halls’ were tiny. The museum owners have
been collecting komboloi for 50 years and
have rare beads dating back to 1550 as well as a selection of prayer
beads used by Hindus, Buddhist, Muslims and Catholics. They are all known by
different names – Malas, Tesbi, Sebhas and Rosaries. The lady in charge downstairs
had already pointed out the ‘No photos’ sign which was a disappointment but the
low light upstairs wouldn’t have made for great photos anyway.
Downstairs in the well lit workshop
was a different matter and I would have loved to have taken loads of
photographs of the mass of colourful komboloi hanging from the display boards
behind her desk. The previous evening
when we walked past I did sneak a quick photo through the door but it doesn’t
really do the treasure trove the justice it deserves.
Visitors can watch the process of
conserving old komboloi, creating replicas for sale or design their own
made-to-order komboloi. Beads can be made from a number of different material
types including pure amber, mastic-amber, bone, shell, coral, horn, wood,
crystal and artificial resins. The number of beads can vary according to the
size of the bead and the users palm width, but it’s normally an odd number.
There are numerous shops in Nafpoli
specialising only in komboloi as well as the usual tourist stalls with the
prices ranging from a cheap and cheerful selection starting at €5 to a
worryingly expensive one priced up at €1500.
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