Freemasonry is an association, also called order or fraternity, whose basic principles are the free thought and the practice of tolerance and morality.
The purpose of the order is to help in the spiritual and moral development of people who are part of it (called Freemasons), to improve society, making it more fair, ethical and moral.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding Freemasonry, including the belief that it is a secret order, which generates a lot of curiosity about what goes on within the association.
Get to know some fun facts about Freemasonry.
1. Masons wear the Masonic apron
Freemasonry is a society full of symbols and the Masonic apron, though lesser known, is one of them. The apron worn by Freemasons has several meanings within the fraternity.
The apron is used to remind Masons that one of their functions is to keep on constant work for the good of society. It serves to remind him of his main objective of contributing to the moral and ethical evolution of society.
When is the Masonic apron used?
The Masonic apron must be worn at all sessions held and it may only be removed after the work of the meeting is completed.
There are different types of Masonic aprons that are used according to the degree of development of each member. There is the Apprentice, Companion and Master Mason apron. The aprons also have different colors and details according to the degrees of each Freemason.
2. There is female freemasonry
There is a belief that Freemasonry is only made up of men. It is true that most Masons are men, since the fraternity's first records of existence.
But there are also female Masonic orders, such as the Order of Masonic women, Order of Amaranth, Honorary fraternity of ancient Freemasons, Order of Freemasons and Social Order of Beauceant, among others.
The rites that take place in female Freemasons are the same as in male ones. As in the Masonic lodges formed by men, clothes are used that identify the degree of development in which the Mason is. Initiation rituals and all other practices common to Freemasonry are also performed.
Although there is a discussion about the existence of female Freemasonry, since there are Freemasons who do not accept the existence of groups formed by women, the Grand Lodge of France, which is one of the largest Masonic groups in existence, confirmed the legitimacy of women's Freemasonry.
3. Freemasons use three dots in writing and signature.
In writing, Freemasons use three points that are placed in the triangle shape. This curious fact has also become known as one of the features that allow Freemasons to be recognized, but that is not why they are used.
The three dots in writing have the function of abbreviate words and must be used according to some rules. For example: the three dots must be used after the first letter of the word, but it is necessary to verify that the word to be abbreviated cannot be confused with another one.
There are many explanations for the use of the three points by Freemasons, such as the fact that the triangle is a representation of God or the cycle of birth, life and death.
Use of the three points in the signature
Over time, the three points were also used in the signature of Freemasons and this has a meaning.
It is a symbol of discretion which is part of the behavior of members of Freemasonry and functions as a memory of discrete values which must be followed by Freemasons.
4. Atheists cannot be part of Freemasonry
Freemasonry is not a religion and neither does it follow the precepts of any religion. However, society values principles of faith in a Superior Being and there is curiosity about the religiosity of the members of the fraternity.
Freemasons believe in the existence of a Divine and Superior Being, whom they refer to as "Great Architect of the Universe". Thus, to be part of Freemasonry one must have some religious belief in the existence of this Deity.
In Freemasonry there are no prejudices regarding the religion of each of the Freemasons and all forms of expression of faith are accepted. Only atheists are not accepted in the order, that is, people who do not believe in the existence of a Superior Being responsible for the universe.
5. Freemasons have "secret" greetings and gestures
The members of Freemasonry have some ways of greeting each other that are only known to them. masonic salute. The greeting is called secret because it is not known by people in general, only people who are part of society are aware of it.
The purpose of the existence of this greeting is that, when greeting each other, Freemasons can recognize each other wherever they are.
As well as the greeting, members of Freemasonry also use specific gestures that function as codes of communication between members of the order. There are testimonies that Freemasons have a "secret hug" which also identifies them.
See also the meaning of Masonry and the 5 supposed practices of Freemasonry you need to know about.
