Incense board (sled) in 6 popular models (yin yang, tree of life, flower of life, sun & moon, pentagram & Buddha)

Frankincense is a mixture of aromatic organic substances, which can be lit and then spreads a pleasant scent. Frankincense is also referred to as the resin (olibanum) of the frankincense tree (Boswellia). The original meaning of the word frankincense is "we smoke" (smoke for consecration). Incense has been used since at least 1700 BC, probably originally as an incense offering. The purpose of an incense offering was to appease the gods. The fragrance and the prayer rise with the smoke. A practical use of incense was to expel putrid air. The blood and remains of the animals that Jews sacrificed were masked with the pungent smell of incense. Incense was and is mainly used in churches in Europe. Although the smell of the sacrifices still had to be expelled from the Jews, the smell of the wealthy buried in the church could be obscured by means of incense. The expression rich stinker may therefore have its origin here. Also during funerals and places of pilgrimage where people have had to come from afar, the use of odor-obscuring incense does not seem to be a coincidence. The resins and oils were unaffordable for ordinary people, because they had to be imported from outside Europe. Apart from that, there was no culture of using incense outside the church. Since the 1960s, interest in Eastern cultures and religion has grown. Incense is widely used in many countries such as China, India, Tibet and Japan. In these countries, incense is just as common as flowers in the house or the use of soap or perfume in the Western world. With the interest, the import and use of oriental incense also grew.