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a container for burning incense, esp one swung at religious ceremonies

Censer ; Thurible

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

As its name implies, the censer holds incense and dispenses smoke during rituals. The ecclesiastical name for it is thurible. It is equated with the element of Air. Frequently the censer is hung on the end of a chains, or chains, so that it might be swung to promote the burning of the charcoal on which the incense rests. It is usually a metal vessel, perforated with holes, into which glowing charcoal is placed and incense is sprinkled onto the charcoal.

Ancient Egyptian censers were small bowls with a handle. Those used by the Greeks and the Romans were more like braziers. They were not swung, being much heavier than today's censers and were often made of bronze or iron. Early Jewish censers were like the Egyptian ones, and were shaped like ladles.

In Wicca the censing of the Circle is part of its consecration at the start of every coven ritual. Each person in the circle is similarly censed, as a cleansing. Any object—amulet, talisman, working tool—is censed when consecrated.

References in periodicals archive ?
Particularly sought after were the religious figures--the Buddhas and Guanyins, or Bodhisattvas of Compassion, particularly worshipped in Fujian--and devotional objects such as incense burners, candlesticks, flower vases, and libation cups.
A rectangular standing incense burner (10.75 x 5.75 x 3.75 in.) with a tiny neck is the setting for a large blue ibis created with polychrome enamel glazes.
The most ancient Taoist oratories (Ching Shi or Pure Chamber or Calm Room) are described as empty except for the incense burner (Needham 1972).
CUTLINE: (1) Exhibit curator Virginia Raguin stands behind a glass case containing one item from each religion represented in the show: A Bodhisattva of Wisdom, from the Ming Dynasty; a Christian incense burner made in Genoa during the early part of the 17th century; and a ceramic tile from 13th-century Iran.
A Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said the incense burner was accidentally knocked from a ledge, spilling fire onto the gifts.
The remains of the earliest known buildings, and the oldest incense burner and wooden boat, were all discovered here.
and a foot-high Buddha statue, which doubled as both incense burner and
She discusses the heroine in Kingston's The Woman Warrior, the banning of Hui's Shanghai Baby, Ang's The Beigang Incense Burner, and the popularity of Li Bihua and her exploration of national identity, gender, and sexuality in conventional plots.
Make sure you take a look at the enormous bronze incense burner in front of the main hall, and take a tour around the grounds to look at the intricate details etched into the walls and ceilings.
An autograph book and pen used by Zaphod, played by Sam Rockwell, sold for pounds 177, Humma Kavula's incense burner went for pounds 139 and a bright red foam hand used in the Deep Thought Crowd Scene fetched pounds 73.
The third was attacked as he was being taught how to swing an incense burner.
Some, like the bronzed bat incense burner ($750), were modeled after similar 19th-century baroque masterpieces.