Buzz
(Mytour) Burning incense during the Lunar New Year is a ritual that holds great importance and attention for Vietnamese families. Through the burning of incense, people aim to send prayers for the best of fortune and blessings to arrive for them and their families.
Each region and locality has its own distinct tradition for incense burning in worship. So, what is the proper and traditional way to burn incense during the Lunar New Year to adhere to cultural customs?
1. How many incense sticks should be placed on the altar during the Lunar New Year?
- Should it be 1 or 3 sticks of incense?
In Buddhist rituals, incense is one of the six essential offerings, alongside flowers, candles, tea, fruit, and food. However, the Buddhist perspective suggests that offerings should be simple: fragrant incense, bright candles, fresh flowers, good fruits, and pure water are enough. The Buddha is not confined to statues or altars but resides within the hearts of all beings. Buddhism teaches that incense burning is symbolic and not a prescribed requirement in scriptures.
Lighting 1 Stick of Incense:
This is a common practice for home worship, called the Peaceful Incense. It is believed that lighting a single stick of incense in the morning and evening ensures the family’s safety and well-being for the day.
Lighting 3 Sticks of Incense:
In Buddhism, this is known as the Three Jewels Incense. The Three Jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma (teachings), and the Sangha (community of monks). In Taoism, it is known as the Three Pure Incense, representing the Three Pure Ones: Yuqing (The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning), Shangqing (The Heavenly Lord of Lingbao), and Taiqing (The Heavenly Lord of Dao De).
Many Vietnamese families light either 1 or 3 incense sticks during important ceremonies such as holidays, ancestor worship, house blessings, weddings, and other significant life events.
Lighting 1 Stick of Incense:
This is a common practice for home worship, called the Peaceful Incense. It is believed that lighting a single stick of incense in the morning and evening ensures the family’s safety and well-being for the day.
Lighting 3 Sticks of Incense:
In Buddhism, this is known as the Three Jewels Incense. The Three Jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma (teachings), and the Sangha (community of monks). In Taoism, it is known as the Three Pure Incense, representing the Three Pure Ones: Yuqing (The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning), Shangqing (The Heavenly Lord of Lingbao), and Taiqing (The Heavenly Lord of Dao De).
In this setup, the middle incense is called the Teacher's Incense; the left incense represents the Azure Dragon; the right incense symbolizes the White Tiger. The three incense sticks are used to invoke blessings, protect the home, and ward off misfortune.
Many Vietnamese families light either 1 or 3 incense sticks during important ceremonies such as holidays, ancestor worship, house blessings, weddings, and other significant life events.
- Should incense offerings be made with odd numbers?
- Lighting a single stick of incense signifies reverence, with the person offering it praying for divine protection, good fortune, and peace.
- Lighting 3 sticks of incense can represent the Three Jewels (Buddha – Dharma – Sangha); or the Three Times (Past – Present – Future).
- Lighting 5 sticks of incense symbolizes the Five Directions or the Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth).
- Lighting 7 or 9 sticks of incense represents the 'spirit' of a person (7 for men, 9 for women).
When lighting incense during Tet, the full moon, or ancestor worship ceremonies, there are varying beliefs about how many sticks should be used for prayers. In the past, people often used odd numbers such as 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9, which are considered yang numbers, to honor their ancestors, offer prayers to deities, and seek blessings for health, good luck, and prosperity.
Each stick of incense lit represents a message to the heavens, ancestors, and spirits, creating warmth for the family and bringing peace to the heart.
For a detailed explanation, see: How many sticks of incense should be lit on the altar for the best results?
For a detailed explanation, see: How many sticks of incense should be lit on the altar for the best results?
2. Basic Method of Lighting Incense for Worship
According to spiritual experts, whether lighting incense during the full moon, the first day of the month, or on Tet, after thoughtfully arranging the offerings and ceremonial items on the ancestor altar, the head of the household will light and offer the incense as part of the ritual.
The basic principle of lighting incense involves taking the incense, lighting it, and separating the sticks with your fingers so that when the hand is moved forward and quickly withdrawn, the flame is more likely to go out.
Hold the incense in both hands in front of your face to calm the mind, then bow three times. After that, raise the incense to eye level, and begin the prayer to the Buddha (if there is a Buddha altar), or to the deities and ancestors.
Next, mention your name and address, bow three more times, and then proceed to place each incense stick into the incense holder.
If lighting three sticks of incense for one incense holder: place one in the center and the other two on either side of it.
For men, place the left stick first (from their perspective), and for women, place the right stick first. If there are multiple incense holders, place one stick in each holder. After finishing the prayer, bow three more times, for a total of nine bows.
Note:
Many people believe that during Tet, the first day of the month, or the full moon, three sticks of incense must be lit. However, it is enough to light one stick in each incense holder, with three holders having three sticks. The key is not the number of sticks but the sincere heart of the person lighting the incense.
Each time you offer incense at the altar, it should be done with a sincere heart and full concentration (with mindfulness). The act of lighting incense should be performed with reverence, a calm demeanor, and should avoid anxiety or haste.
3. Is it appropriate to light incense continuously during Tet?
- It is not recommended to light incense continuously during Tet
Lighting incense during Tet is something many families pay great attention to. Some families even light incense continuously throughout the day, relighting a new stick whenever the previous one has burned out.
- Exceptional cases
If you wish to light incense continuously, you can use coil incense, which lasts longer.
When using coil incense, be sure not to place it in the incense holder, but instead place it on a separate plate. This method prevents disturbing the incense holder and makes it easier to clean the altar.
Many people place a metal rod in the middle of the incense holder, then light the coil incense on top. However, from a spiritual perspective, this action is considered 'cursing' and should not be overused.
It is best for families to use bamboo or wooden sticks as a replacement and replace them regularly.
For more details, see the article: Should incense be continuously lit during Tet?
4. Common types of incense used during Tet
Typically, during Tet in Vietnam, people commonly use the following three types of incense.
- Stick incense:
This type of incense dates back to the Song and Ming dynasties. It has a long burning time, which is why it is also called longevity incense or immortal incense.
Stick incense comes in two types: one with a core and one without. Generally, the incense used in households is small stick incense, which burns for a short period and produces little smoke. Larger stick incense, with a longer burn time, is typically used for offerings at temples and pagodas.
- Coil incense:
Compared to stick incense, coil incense burns for a longer duration. Coil incense can be categorized into two types: large coils, which can be hung directly for burning or placed on an incense rack within an incense burner for use in temples, shrines, or ancestral halls.
Smaller coil incense is used for offerings or personal meditation and is burned on a Buddha altar, not on a family altar.
- Tower incense:
This type of incense is crafted from agarwood, sandalwood, cloves, frankincense, and water, then shaped into small pointed cones. Tower incense is typically placed directly on a flat incense dish for burning or burned in a censer where the ash is collected.
Once burned, the ash from tower incense forms a pointed cone shape, which does not scatter, making it easy to use. The burn time for tower incense is shorter than that of stick or coil incense, which is why it is commonly used in households.
Note:
Regardless of the type of incense chosen, it is important to use incense made from natural materials. Avoid incense made with chemicals, as they harm health and do not convey the proper respect for deities and the deceased.
How to store incense: Incense should be kept in a fixed, clean, and dry location. When purchasing, choose incense with sealed boxes. Do not leave unburned incense on the altar. Handle incense carefully to avoid dropping or spilling it.
For more details, check out the article: Mistakes in lighting incense during Tet.
5. Important considerations when lighting incense during Tet
In summary, despite differences in religion and regional practices, with varying rituals and specific ceremonies, there are fundamental principles that remain the same. Here are some key points to keep in mind:
- Carefully arrange the offerings (fresh fruit, clean water) before lighting the incense.
- Use incense made from natural ingredients, and avoid incense that contains chemicals as it can harm everyone's health.
- Store incense in a dry, clean place. It's best to keep it in a tightly sealed box.
- Handle the incense gently to avoid spilling or dropping it onto the ground.
- Regularly clean the incense spoon, incense burner, and the incense box.
- The distance between the person and the incense bowl should be just right—not too far or too close.
- Only light one stick of incense. If using a new incense bowl, you may use three sticks. Avoid lighting a whole bundle of incense, as the smoke becomes too dense, making the air polluted and suffocating during the ceremony.
- After the offering ceremony, if incense ash falls, use a clean cloth to wipe it. Do not blow on the ash with your mouth.
- If the incense goes out, you can relight it (in temples, they collect it into bundles for burning). Do not discard it on your own.
- Do not burn too many incense sticks during prayers, especially if the offerings are not replenished. Folklore suggests that inviting ancestors to consume old offerings does not show sincerity.
- The act of lighting incense, then blowing on it, waving it, or extinguishing it by fanning, followed by placing all three sticks or even a bundle into the incense bowl is improper and should be avoided.
- To avoid disturbing the incense bowl, do not carelessly add a metal holder into it for circular incense burning. If used, incense coils should be placed in a dish instead.
- Placing incense sticks in food for offerings can lead to poisoning, as the incense sticks often contain harmful chemicals.
- Homes with young children should avoid excessive incense burning, as it can negatively impact their respiratory system.
Related Articles in the Same Category:
