Joss stick

Joss stick

Joss sticks are a type of incense used in many East Asian countries, traditionally burned before a Chinese religious image, idol or shrine. They can also be burned in front of a door, or open window as an offering to heaven, or devas. In modern days, joss sticks can be used for any purpose, such as to enhance the smell of a room, or to light fire crackers.

Joss sticks are religious materials in China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Korea,and Japan.

The word "joss" is derived from the Latin "deus" (god) via Portuguese.

Types

Joss stick burning is an everyday practice in traditional Chinese religion. There are many different types of joss sticks used for different purposes or on different festive days. Many of them are long and thin and are mostly colored yellow, red, and more rarely, black. Thick joss sticks are used for special ceremonies, such as funerals. Spiral joss sticks are also used on a regular basis, which are found hanging above temple ceilings, with burn times that are exceedingly long. In some states, such as Taiwan, Singapore, or Malaysia, where they celebrate the Ghost Festival, large, pillar-like dragon joss sticks are sometimes used.

Cost and quality

The price of joss sticks can range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars, depending on where the joss sticks were made. Low-quality joss sticks are cheap and can be found anywhere from a gods material shop to a supermarket, and many of the cheap joss sticks are made mechanically with high proportion of fillers such as clay and use perfumes or fragrance oil for smell instead of using quality materials. Some may be harmful to the lungs, produce bad smells, and cause quick blackening on walls when burnt.

High-quality joss sticks from mainland China or Taiwan use natural resins, spices, woods, and herbs. Higher-quality incense also use less added fragrant oils to enhance the smell and instead rely the quality of the main ingredients in the incense mix to be fragrant. The burn time, the stability of the burn, as well as the lack of heat in the falling ashes are all signs of quality in the joss sticks.

ee also

* Joss paper
* Joss (god)
* Malaysian Chinese religion


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • joss stick — [ˈdʒɔs ˌstık US ˈdʒa:s ] n ↑joss stick [Date: 1800 1900; Origin: joss Chinese figure of a god, luck (18 20 centuries), from Pidgin English, from Portuguese deus god ] a stick of ↑incense …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Joss stick — Joss Joss (j[o^]s), n. [Chinese, corrupt. fr. Pg. deos God, L. deus.] A Chinese household divinity; a Chinese idol. Critic in jars and josses. Colman (1761). [1913 Webster] {Joss house}, a Chinese temple or house for the Chinese mode of worship.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • joss stick — joss′ stick n. ear a thin stick of a dried, fragrant paste, burned as incense before a joss • Etymology: 1880–85 …   From formal English to slang

  • joss stick — ► NOUN ▪ a thin stick of a fragrant substance, burnt as incense. ORIGIN from joss, denoting a Chinese religious statue or idol: from a Javanese word derived from Latin deus god …   English terms dictionary

  • joss stick — [ dʒas ,stık ] noun count a thin stick of INCENSE …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • joss stick — n. a thin stick of dried paste made of fragrant wood dust, burned by the Chinese as incense …   English World dictionary

  • joss stick — noun a slender stick of incense burned before a joss by the Chinese • Hypernyms: ↑incense * * * noun Etymology: joss (I) : a slender stick of incense burned in front of a joss * * * a slender stick of a dried, fragrant paste, burned by the… …   Useful english dictionary

  • joss stick — UK [ˈdʒɒs ˌstɪk] / US [ˈdʒɑs ˌstɪk] noun [countable] Word forms joss stick : singular joss stick plural joss sticks a thin stick of incense …   English dictionary

  • joss stick — [[t]ʤɒ̱s stɪk[/t]] joss sticks N COUNT A joss stick is a thin stick covered with a substance that burns very slowly and smells pleasant …   English dictionary

  • joss stick — n. stick of incense; long and thin stick of incense that the Chinese burn before a joss …   English contemporary dictionary

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