Preface
As an ancient cultural tradition, burning incense has played an important role in various major festivals, religious ceremonies and sacrificial activities on the mainland since ancient times. Whether it is a temple fair, a temple or a folk sacrifice, burning incense is an indispensable part of people, and in different occasions and activities, the number of incense burns by people is also different, such as three incense, six incense, nine incense, etc. Behind these seemingly simple numbers, there are actually rich cultural connotations and auspicious meanings, and people's every move when burning cigarettes is also exquisite.
1. Burning incense is not only a ritual, but also a transmission of culture and emotion
Burning incense as a ritual activity that began as an expression of reverence and prayer for the gods evolved into a cultural tradition and a way of expressing emotions. Whether it is in religious activities or in daily life, people's custom of burning incense and praying for blessings has always maintained a certain influence, and has also been endowed with many new connotations and meanings.
1. The cultural connotation of burning incense
In traditional Chinese culture, burning incense has a very deep connotation, and the most important point is the meaning of "respect" and "blessing" contained in burning incense. Whether it is burning incense to worship the Buddha or worshipping ancestors, people burn incense with a pious heart to express their good thoughts and good wishes.
2. The emotional meaning of burning incense
In addition, in modern society, the meaning of burning incense has been extended to a certain extent, it is not only a religious ceremony, but also a kind of family and country feelings and emotional sustenance for relatives. For example, in some major festivals or festivals, people will burn incense to worship their ancestors, which is actually a kind of love for family and tradition, as well as a deep nostalgia for their past relatives.
Second, three incense, six incense, nine incense each has an auspicious meaning
When burning incense, people usually choose three incense, six incense, and nine incense sticks to burn, because in traditional culture, these numbers have a very special symbolic meaning and are regarded as auspicious representatives.
1. Saneka
The three incense sticks appear very frequently in incense-burning activities, and the meaning it contains is also very rich. First of all, the three incense sticks represent the meaning of the trinity of "heaven, earth, and man", which means that when the three incense sticks are burned, people are not only worshiping the gods, but also worshipping the gods and ancestral spirits to express their awe for all things in the universe.
In addition to this, the three sticks of incense also have a meaning
With the "three talents", that is, intelligence, health and good interpersonal relationships, it can be said that it is a kind of yearning and hope for a better life. Therefore, whether it is praying at the temple fair or in the sacrificial activities at home, people burn three incense sticks, hoping to get all-round protection and blessing.
2. Six sticks of incense
The six incense sticks appear relatively rarely in incense-burning activities, but the auspicious meaning it contains cannot be ignored either. The six incense sticks represent the meaning of "six six great shun", that is to say, things can go smoothly and the family is harmonious and happy, which can be said to be a very good blessing.
In some important prayer activities, people will also choose to burn six incense sticks to express their yearning for a better life and pray for the health and safety of the whole family.
3. Kuneka
The nine incense sticks represent the meaning of "long and long", which means that it is hoped that the incense of the ancestors can be passed down forever, and the descendants of the family can be passed on from generation to generation.
Burning nine incense sticks is not only a remembrance and commemoration of ancestors, but also a beautiful expectation for the future life, hoping that you and your family can be happy and healthy forever, and your career and studies can be smooth sailing.
3. Contraindications and precautions for burning incense
Although the traditional custom of burning incense is very popular in the mainland, there are also some taboos and details that need to be paid attention to when carrying out incense burning activities, such as the term "broken incense".
1. Taboo "Broken Head Incense"
The so-called "severed incense" actually refers to the phenomenon that when the cigarette is burned, the flame of the cigarette suddenly extinguishes itself, resulting in the cigarette only burning partially, but not completely burned out.
In traditional culture, people believe that such a phenomenon will bring bad omen to themselves, that is, some bad things may happen, so when carrying out incense burning activities, we must try to avoid the appearance of "broken incense".
2. The correct way to burn incense
In addition, there are some other precautions when carrying out incense burning activities, such as the order of burning incense, and the number of times to burn incense, etc., all of which have a certain degree of attention.
Only on the premise of respecting these traditional customs can we better feel the profound connotation of the cultural tradition of burning incense, and can we better inherit and carry forward this excellent traditional culture.
epilogue
It can be said that the ancient cultural tradition of burning incense, whether in terms of ritual meaning, cultural connotation and emotional meaning, carries a very rich content, and every incense burned by people has different sustenance and prayers behind it.
In the future, we may rarely have the opportunity to burn incense and pray in person, but whether it is in traditional festivals or in daily life, we can feel the beauty and power of burning incense by understanding the cultural custom, and we can also inherit and carry forward this excellent traditional culture that has been handed down for thousands of years through our every move.