Brojanica is one of the main religious symbols of Montenegro. Among purely Montenegrin souvenirs, brojanica is almost the only one that makes sense to buy for yourself as a keepsake and as a gift for friends.
What is a brojanica?
A brojanica (stress on Я) is one of the main religious symbols of Montenegro. There are several legends about its invention, and almost every Montenegrin wears one.
A Montenegrin brojanica is a consecrated bracelet woven from sheep's wool, which reminds people that we are all just lambs of God. In total, a small brojanica has 33 knots, each of which consists of 7 intertwined crosses. The ends of the brojanica are connected with a plastic or wooden equilateral cross. You can also find a cross-fastening made of precious metals, but this is rare.
A brojanica comes in different colors: black, red, white, blue, light blue, pink. Each color has some hidden meaning. In the photo, these are the brojanicas that we saw in Montenegro.
A brojanica is worn on the left hand. Montenegrins believe that the brojanica is a powerful protective amulet that should be worn without removing. About once a year, every Montenegrin comes to the Ostrog Monastery, where he leaves the old amulet (it can lose its power within a year) and buys a new one.
The brojanicas are woven by monks. In Montenegro, not only black brojanicas are common, but also blue, light blue, red, and white brojanicas. Each color has its own meaning (read the article about the monastery shop).
Among Orthodox Christians, brojanicas are most often found in the Balkans: among Serbs, Montenegrins, Greeks, Macedonians, and Bulgarians.
The brojanica is used primarily during prayer, helping to achieve maximum concentration. Montenegrins usually count the number of prayers they have read with the knots of the brojanica. To do this, they take off the brojanica and hold it in their left hand, and cross themselves with the right.
In addition to the small broyanitsa (the bracelet with 33 knots that we talked about), there is also a medium one with 50 knots and a large one with 100 knots. Sometimes you can even find a broyanitsa with 300 knots. Such broyanitsas are worn in the hands or on the neck, but they are much less common than broyanitsa-bracelets.
Buying a broyanitsa for resale is a great sin. But it is worth giving to a loved one. This will mean not only caring for him, but also respect and veneration.
There is a belief that wearing a broyanitsa is the same as wearing a pectoral cross. Nowadays, many fashionistas wear a broyanitsa as jewelry.
Legend about the invention of the broyanitsa
In Montenegro, there is an interesting legend about the invention of the broyanitsa. Oddly enough, it is associated not with the personality of the legendary Vasily Ostrozhsky, but with the name of an unknown monk.
They say that this man was a true believer and combined many Orthodox virtues: he led an unpretentious and hardworking lifestyle, respected other people and tried to help them, sincerely prayed and worked on himself, never refused to help his neighbors or even strangers.
And he had only one problem. During prayer, he was unable to concentrate hard enough, he constantly lost count of the number of prayers he had read. To fix this, the monk came up with a broyanitsa - a small bracelet of 33 knots, which he sorted through when he prayed.
But even the bracelet could not completely solve the problem. At night, and sometimes right during prayer, the devil came to the monk and untied the knots, throwing him off count. The confrontation between persistence and deceit lasted for many months. And then an angel descended from heaven, who taught the monk how to properly weave knots so that no one could untie them. The knots of the Orthodox broyanitsa are still considered to be some of the strongest and most labor-intensive in the world.
Broyanitsas in other nations of the world
This is what the broyanitsa I bought in Ostrog looks like. It sits so tightly on my hand that it will most likely not be possible to remove it. At the same time, it does not press at all.
Even the ancient Slavs protected their children by tying a red woolen thread around their wrist.
Catholics usually use wooden rosaries instead of a broyanitsa.
Similar broyanitsas are also common among Muslims and Hindus, who also make them from wood.
The main difference between the Orthodox broyanitsa is that it is woven from sheep's wool and each knot is based on seven intertwined crosses. This knot is considered to be one of the strongest in the world.
Where can I buy a broyanitsa?
If you managed to come to Montenegro, we would like to advise you to visit the Ostrog Monastery - one of the greatest Orthodox, Catholic and Muslim shrines.
The brojanica is not very expensive: for a simple one they will ask up to 2 euros. Of course, the prices for expensive options with silver and gold are much higher. The brojanica is worn for about a year, sometimes even several years. Then you need to come back to the monastery, leave the old brojanica there and buy a new one.
The price will depend on the place where you buy it - in the monastery it is a little more expensive, and in souvenir shops a little cheaper.
