Morning prayers

Incense coils burning at the Hung Shing temple in the centre of busy Wan Chai (Hong Kong).

 

Incense spirals (also called incense coils) are one of the forms of incense. An incense coil is made entirely of incense, without a bamboo core in the middle as seen with incense sticks. They are called incense spirals because they are shaped into a spiral instead of a straight stick shape. A spiral shape allows for a much larger piece of incense which burns longer while taking up little space. An incense stick can be made in any length, but the longer the stick, the greater the chance of breakage. This limits incense sticks to no more than three feet in length in general practice. Incense coils have been in use for a considerable length of time in the East thanks to their much longer burn times and compact footprint. For temples and monasteries which use a lot of incense, these coils are ideal. The coils can be suspended from the ceiling which allows more floor space to be freed up for worshippers. It is not uncommon to see a temple ceiling which is covered with large hanging incense coils. These coils can burn for days at a time. Incense coils this size are not very practical for use in the home, however.

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