Joss paper, commonly made from course bamboo paper or rice paper, is traditionally burned during ancestor worship ceremonies, praying purposes, or even during funerals. The burning of the joss paper is mainly to pay respects and sometimes to burn away evil deeds in a confession and pray for good luck.
The joss paper is a piece of paper with a rectangular or squarish joss glued to the middle of the paper and sometimes may be endorsed with the traditional Chinese red ink seal.
The type of joss paper to be burned is dependant on the deity being worshipped. Different deities will have different ink seals and various sizes of the joss paper to be burned. Usually, the joss paper would be folded into half before being burned in an earthenware pot or usually in specially built chimneys in the temples. During ancestor worship ceremonies, joss paper burning always comes last.
Joss paper is commonly sold near Chinese temples and they are packed in small packets or bundles which usually contain 2 candles, a small food item, either a packet of tea leaves or rice, joss paper, and incense sticks which is either 2 big joss sticks, 3 small joss sticks or a combination of both. The number of joss sticks to be offered to a deity ( a kind of incense that is burned and used to pray to a Chinese deity) also depends on the occasion and the deity that is being worshipped though the common number of joss sticks used is 3.
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