When talking about the most popular tattoo designs, we should not forget about cross tattoos which are gaining more and more popularity worldwide and especially among men. Though cross is closely associated with Christianity, when it comes to tattoos you dont really need to be a believer to get a cross tattooed on your body. In fact meanings of the cross tattoos is very often detached from Christianity and varies according to the person who gets it or the context. And it is exactly the diversity of the meanings that cross tattoos stand for explains its popularity worldwide.
Surely, still the most common meaning of cross tattoos is religion. Cross is the symbol of belief in the Christ and is widely recognized for exactly this reason. People who get this tattoo for religious purposes want to remind others about the significance of their belief. They can also signal to their devotion to Christian morals such as love between all humans, patience, kindness etc by getting a cross tattoo. Cross tattoos often have the power of protection and guidance when making difficult decisions for many people as well. Having a cross inked on the body, people believe, will bless you and protect you against evil forces.
Other, non-religious meanings of the cross tattoos can be seen as somewhat related to the original religious meanings, but re no longer associated with Christianity for the people who wear them. For some people cross tattoo can symbolize a tree of life. As life is believed to be born from the harmonic combination of masculine and feminine, in the cross vertical line is perceived as male and horizontal as female. Their combination signifies new birth and respect to living creatures.
Cross is very often linked with the feeling of living at the crossroads to. Life for many is often seen as constant going through the crossroads and choosing your path. We are always struggling to make right decisions and know that every single decision we make and the pathway we chose excludes other possibilities. That is why life is always a struggle between the possibilities and right and wrong decisions. Cross tattoos symbolize this struggle and reflect on difficulty of the choices a person has to make at every step of her/his life.
Celtic cross tattoos have very unique and the oldest design. The shape of Celtic crosses date back to 5th century and was a symbol of faith. It was frequently used symbol in Ireland and Scotland and symbolized belief in Christianity. The design of Celtic Cross Tattoos consists of knot work, loops and mazes. The connection of the body and spirit, or connection of the physical and spiritual selves in symbolized by the knots. The loop is a symbol of the continuity and eternity of life-circle. The mazes which can take diversity of shapes often stand for the living itself, the difficulties the people have to go through and the routs they can chose. Those who chose to tattoo Celtic crosses express their faith in life, its eternity and complexity.
Tribal Cross tattoos are also popular design for those who decided to have a cross on their body for variety of reasons. Tribal tattoos are so widespread, as their meaning is very subjective and personal. It is a combination of a Christian symbol with variety of tribal stiles. Ancient tribes used tattoos to fight against evil spirits, signify their victory or success in life. Tribal Cross tattoos often signify a persons respect to a particular tribe, their life and beliefs as well as connection with present religion or faith. In addition tribal cross tattoos have very bold and unique designs and you can go as imaginative with these tattoos as you can, combine different shapes and lines and create your perfect tattoo.
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