A few questions from an ignorant heathen:
What’s the origin of placing palms together and fingers up for prayer?
How long has it been done, and why did it start?
Is it unique to Christianity, or do other religions do it too?
Thanks.
I couldn’t say when it started, but it was at least a few hundred years ago, judging by old artwork. I’ll make a WAG about the “why” part: along with the head-bowing and eye-closing, placing the hands together aids in avoiding distraction while praying. It’s hard to fidget and fiddle with things when your eyes are closed and your hands are clasped.
Clasping your hands together is also a sign of supplication. It was often done when you were, say, begging the king to decide in your favor in a dispute, for example.
I don’t know if there’s any special significance to the palms together, fingers pointing up style. I suspect it was just a cultural thing from where it originated. Most Christians I know simply clasp their hands together, sometimes with fingers interlaced.
My mommy once told me that putting your hands together with fingers straight up was how Catholics pray, and hands clasped was how Protestants pray.
There is a famous drawing by Albrecht Dürer made in 1508 that has fingers straight up: http://www.onlinekunst.de/frieden/gebete_frieden.html
In Yoga to do the tree stance you push your hands together to help you balance. When I pray my attention has a way of focusing into my hands and ‘centering’ me, so I it’s about the same idea.
Way, way back in Catholic grammar school, the Nuns would smack your hands if your fingers were not pointing UP to the Lord.
What if you pointed just one finger UP to the Lord?
Broken finger. Nuns had zero tolerance.
There’s lots of good info here.
As far as I know, it is unique to the Latin rites of Christianity, and those groups ultimately descended from it, such as the Protestants. It’s the “default” hand position in the Latin rite for clergy during services. In the East, the default is hands down at the sides.
Buddhists bow to each other with hands clasped together palm to palm. Thai’s do this as a matter of course, it’s called “wai” IIRC.