A toy named Begleri

This trackable was made to introduce geocachers to Begleri. Feel free to use the sets and if you like it, add other sets for people to play with. Spread the fun!

A bit of history :

Begleri (Greek: μπεγλέρι) is a small skill toy consisting of one or more beads at either end of a short string or fine chain. The toy can be flipped and twirled around the fingers to perform tricks. Begleri originated in Greece, and originally derived from the Greek rosary or komboloi, which serve the function of worry beads, and are often flipped around to pass the time or keep the hands busy. While komboloi have beads forming a closed circle, begleri beads are threaded on an open strand, usually in a symmetrical formation, with equal weighting at either end. Begleri come in many forms, consisting of semi-precious stone or metal beads. They can be similar in form to the percussion instrument kashaka, but are much smaller in size.

Modern Begleri Revival

Historically, begleri was associated with the Greek mangas subculture, and the rebetiko style of music, popular from the 1960s onwards. In recent years, begleri has grown in popularity outside of Greece, as a skill toy and everyday carry item.This has led to a proliferation of begleri designs and styles, using all manner of modern materials. The recent uptick in interest among collectors and skill toy enthusiasts dates back to at least the early 2010s, when it began gaining popularity on hobbiest sites. As the popularity grew in online forums and social media, different styles of play began to emerge. A more recent upsurge in interest can be credited to a collaboration between Kuma Films and Aroundsquare, resulting in the film, 2 Beads 1 String, which reached more than a million views as of March 2017. The film featured members of Aroundsquare's sponsored team demonstrating modern begleri techniques. A wide range of different styles of play and categories of tricks have developed, many of which can only be performed with relatively long-stringed begleri, termed "long game" by enthusiasts.

So what is this trackable about?

Well i recently fell in love with this little toy while surfing the internet. After talking about it to a greek friend, i decided to make on myself an see what that fuss was all about. The first days were bit if a huddle but i got the hang if it really fast and decide to spread the word since it was unknown to most people.

So i made trackable with 3 different sets to introduce the toy also to geocacher friends.

Feel free to dismount a set and see if you like it.

Begleris are quite easy to make, a bit of string and 2 beads/weight is all it takes. Monkeyfist begleris are also really easy to tie. I will include some links below should you want it give at a try.

So should you like it or just are the creative kind, make some more sets and hook 'em to the trackable and upload a picture. The more the better.

I hope you enjoy this and have as much fun as I have with this simple little toy.


Begleri in action (2 beads 1 string by kuma + aroundsquare)

(visit link)


How to tie a monkey fist: (use 2 glued m8 hexnuts for the core works quite well)

(visit link)


Beginner tricks:

(visit link)


Enjoy!