Happy Rosary Day!

A [belated] blessed Rosary Day, everyone!

I missed the official day (it was yesterday, whoops!), but here it is.

The Rosary celebrated is that devotion most common in the West, dedicated to Mother Mary, rather than the chanting beads and malas more common in the East. One Rosary is composed of five 'decades': five sets of ten beads, on each of which is said a Hail Mary. A 'complete' Rosary is composed of fifteen decades, which is usually achieved by praying a regular Rosary three times, though long Rosaries do exist (you'll usually see them on statuary so it can be seen from a distance). Complete Rosaries are not generally said regularly by those outside monastic orders except for on specific occasions, as in penance or praying over a difficult situation. For those who regularly pray a Rosary, praying a complete Rosary is a way to honour Rosary Day; those who do not usually pray a Rosary are encouraged to pray one Rosary today.

There are two versions of how the Rosary came to be: one, the religious version, says that Mother Mary gave the Rosary devotion to St. Dominic; the other describes a long evolution of various forms of prayer beads, coming to the present form as a type of short hand for the unlearned. Monks at the time recited the 150 Psalms from the Bible, while the everyday person who had not the time nor the education for such an endeavour would simply pray 150 Our Fathers, which were eventually replaced with the Hail Mary prayer. This is why a 'complete' Rosary is 150 repetitions.

Apparitions of Mary encouraged the use of the Rosary, especially those apparitions occurring around the time of the two World Wars. The Rosary has always been important in Filianic and Madrian sources; though it may look intimidating at first, it is a beautiful practice!

See how to pray a Rosary here!

History of the Rosary:
A Brief History
History of Rosary