Incense
Incense is material burned for its fragrant smoke: resins and gums, aromatic woods, bark, seeds and flowers, sprinkled on hot charcoal or shaped into sticks and cones. The word comes from the Latin for setting something alight.
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Mariage Frères - Thé Sous Les Nuages - Incense - 50 Sticks + Holder
Regular price $58.00 USDRegular price -
Mariage Frères - Thé Au Tibet - Incense - 50 Sticks + Holder
Regular price $58.00 USDRegular price -
Brass Incense Holder - 9 Holes Of 3 Various Diameters
Regular price $5.00 USDRegular price
How to choose Incense
- Resin. Frankincense, a gum resin from Boswellia trees of Somalia, Arabia and parts of India, has been burned in worship and used in perfumery for thousands of years.
- Wood. Sandalwood is the fragrant, close-grained heartwood of Santalum trees from southern Asia and Western Australia. Palo santo, Spanish for holy tree, names several trees of the Americas, among them one of Argentina and Paraguay whose resinous heartwood is used for incense.
- Stick or loose. Joss sticks, the English name since 1845 for slender sticks of incense, burn on their own once lit. Loose resin is usually sprinkled on hot charcoal.
- Natural or perfumed. Since the 17th and 18th centuries, chemicals from the perfume trade have steadily replaced natural materials in many blends.
About Incense
Incense is resin, wood or other plant matter, alone or blended, burned for scent at home and in worship. Egypt imported incense trees from the Arabian and Somali coasts for daily temple rites, Babylonians burned it during prayer and divination, and Greeks offered woods and resins from the 8th century BC. Romans later swapped local fragrant woods for imported incense in public and private sacrifices.
Christians adopted it for the Eucharist in the 4th century AD as a sign of rising prayer. It remains part of Hindu and Buddhist offerings, festivals in China that honor ancestors, and Shinto ritual in Japan. Frankincense also had a use outside worship, in embalming.
At a glance
- Made from
- Resins, gums, aromatic woods, bark, seeds, flowers
- Main types
- Sticks, cones and loose resin for charcoal
- Also called
- Joss sticks, for stick incense
Incense questions
What is agarwood?
Agarwood is the soft, dark heartwood of several Southeast Asian Aquilaria trees, formed when the tree is infected by a fungus. The infection fills the wood with a fragrant resin that is prized for incense and perfume. It also goes by the names aloeswood and eaglewood.
What is a censer?
A censer is a vessel for burning incense, often a covered burner swung on chains during religious services. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox services still use them, and the Church of England widely restored incense in the 19th century, after it had dropped out of use.
How should incense be burned indoors?
Smoke from incense is a combustion product, made of gases and fine particles released by burning. Burn it in a room with fresh air coming in, follow the maker's instructions, and set the stick or charcoal on a heatproof holder well away from curtains and paper. Put it out completely before you leave.
Sources: US Environmental Protection Agency; Merriam-Webster.
