Incense (from Latin incendere "to burn") is composed of aromatic biotic materials,which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term incense refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odour that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a spiritual atmosphere, and for masking unpleasant odors.
Incense is composed of aromatic plant materials, often combined with essential oils. The forms taken by incense differ with the underlying culture, and have changed with advances in technology and increasing diversity in the reasons for burning it. Incense can generally be separated into two main types: "indirect-burning" and "direct-burning". Indirect-burning incense (or "non-combustible incense") is not capable of burning on its own, and requires a separate heat source. Direct-burning incense (or "combustible incense") is lit directly by a flame and then fanned or blown out, leaving a glowing ember that smoulders and releases fragrance. Direct-burning incense comes in several forms, including incense sticks (or "joss sticks"), cones, and pyramids.
Read more about Incense: History, Composition, Types, Burning Incense, Uses of Incense, Incense and Health
Famous quotes containing the word incense:
“You might sooner get lightning out of incense smoke than true action or passion out of your modern English religion.”
—John Ruskin (1819–1900)
“Here the sausage and garlic booth
Sent unholy incense skyward;
There a quivering female-thing
Gestured assignations, and lied
To call it dancing;”
—Anne Spencer (1882–1975)
“Flies, acolytes
of the death-in-life temple
buzz their prayers
and from the altar
of excrement arises
an incense ...”
—Denise Levertov (b. 1923)