Question: The picture below depicts one way to go around the rosary beads when praying the [Holy Rosary](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/1155/what-is-the-purpose-of-a-rosary).

[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/oJQ3x.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/oJQ3x.jpg)

If a child were to ask, as they typical do, as to why Catholics when praying the Holy Rosary customarily go around the rosary beads one way rather than the other - if that's what they do, how would one answer? Is there a customary way to go around rosary beads? If yes, what is the reason for that order?

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A question in the "same series" as: [Is there a particular order in lighting candles on an advent wreath?](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/35537/is-there-a-particular-order-in-lighting-candles-on-an-advent-wreath)

Answer: 
Either direction is acceptable
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This might be semi-authoritative since it comes straight from the only approved Marian apparition site in the United States. Up near Green Bay, Wisconsin there is an outdoor rosary walk with the mysteries visible for people who traverse in a right-hand or left-hand direction.

For instance, when you walk around clockwise, you see 1st glorious mystery, 1st luminous. Etc... On a big banner, but if you look at the backside of the banner, its got 5th glorious, 5th luminous, etc... So no matter whether you walk around clockwise or counter-clockwise, you will see the mysteries in their proper order. Which I remarked to my wife, "that's mighty clever, those Catholics are always thinking..."
The question is not clear. If you hold the beads flat, there's a "direction" ( e.g. clockwise), but if they hang down e.g. while standing to pray, how would you tell which way is which? There's never an order marked on the beads. It's not even particularly strict that one must say the 3 Aves, Paternoster and Creed before the decades, as opposed to after.