The application of drawings on the body in ancient times was carried out with the aim of demonstrating a person's belonging to a particular tribe, faith or status.
What do religious tattoos mean?
Today, tattoos in almost every case are aesthetic in nature and are made to decorate areas of the bodies. Nevertheless, many enclose a certain semantic load in them.
Religious tattoos are applied by people who belong to a particular faith, they are usually performed not only for decoration, but also to protect a person from dark forces, to influence fate.
Each religion has certain symbolic signs, thanks to which it can be distinguished from the rest.
Tattoo history
Tattoos on a religious theme originated in antiquity. A peculiar brand of Palestinian religions were ritual drawings. In Christianity, this was banned, but this did not lead to the extinction of tattoos in the faith. Pilgrims nevertheless practiced tattoos, which were applied by Coptic priests and were made in the form of drawings of the Mother of God with Jesus, St. Peter. Icon tattoos can often be seen on the human body. Muslims decorated themselves with tattoos dedicated to Mecca and Medina. The symbol of the drawings was purification after death.
Facts were discovered about the controversial practice of a similar type of tattoos that were applied in the Balkans. Bosnia and Croatia had peculiar ethnic tattoos , but during the period of Muslim raids, they acquired a different color. At this time, the warring parties left drawings on the bodies of women, showing their belonging to opponents.
Of particular importance is the religious symbolism of believers, they tattoo to be closer to God, but not all religions are characterized by a change in the body. Religious tattoos reached the level when they began to be considered a separate direction in tattoo practice. Such drawings are incredibly complex in execution, and only an experienced master needs to trust their application. Sometimes a tattoo with the image of the Saint can be done for quite a long time, but the result is an incredible and unique picture.
Tattoos - a way of repentance
However, religious tattoos are not always applied by believers, since faith is primarily an internal state. Such drawings can often be found on the body of criminals who resort to them with the goal of repentance. As a rule, these are all kinds of crucifixes, crosses, domes and other religious symbols.
Christianity, both before and at the moment, cannot accept religious tattoos, but also completely reject them. The Bible has a quote that explains this: “Do not make incisions for the sake of the deceased on your body and do not carry impaled letters on you.”
One thing is certain: religion-related tattoos are very relevant today. They are a means of protection from misfortune and evil forces. In any case, to make a drawing on the body or not is everyone's choice. But before you apply anything, you need to study the meaning of the tattoo, because it will be with you for life.