Incense has been around so long that no one really knows
when, where, or how it originated. It has probably been used almost since
humans discovered how to use fire. If you’ve ever sat around a campfire or
walked on a winter night when people were burning aromatic wood in their
fireplaces or stoves, you might agree that the idea of burning plant materials
and resins came from smelling something amazingly good while using a fire for
warmth, to cook, or for other purposes. The challenge then would have been to
discover what material produced the pleasant odor and isolate it for burning to
mask bad odors, for pleasure, or as a ritual.
I’ve always loved incense, and tend to want to try
everything that’s available. As a result, I find that I have some favorites and some I don't like as well. Of
the sticks, one of my favorites is Nippon Kodo’s Seiun joss sticks in Chrysanthemum scent. However, I have gone more and more to using raw materials on a
burner, especially frankincense - and oud on special occasions. I
also like to experiment with all kinds of other “burnables”, from resins through
woods and grasses.
With any sort of experimentation, you win some you lose
some. However, in this case winning and losing are subjective because what I
enjoy is different from what you might enjoy. I have a big incense collection,
some of which I’ve tried and will never use. To pare the collection down to a manageable size, this week I’m offering a random drawing and giveaway of a set of several
types of manufactured incense sticks. To be entered, just leave a comment saying what type
of incense you enjoy.
Unfortunately, incense packages are bulky and would cost more to ship than they're worth, so this is a US-only draw. The winner will be announced early next week.
[photos are from Wikimedia]
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