The Use Of Incense Joss Stick: (香). So many people would thinking that incense joss stick were the food for offering either for deities, spirits or ancestors. Incense joss stick is not a food offering meanwhile is a message for human to interact with deities, spirits and ancestors.
Since human being are impossible to direct interact or communicate with the other realm and thats the reason why incense joss sticks were used nowadays. To interact with other realms is required of light (fire) when the incense joss stick were burned.
There is always odd in numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) when using incense joss stick and each number of incense joss stick bring out different meaning as what the message that we want to bring to the other realms.
1 stick of incense joss stick: Greeting (问候香) Whenever visiting temple or daily use of in household, usually 1 stick of incense joss stick were in used as greeting purpose.
3 sticks of incense joss stick: Request/Activities Purpose. (办事香)It's common to applied 3 sticks of joss stick where there had any activities purpose such like every first lunar month (初一) or fifteenth lunar month (十五), wedding day or others big festival. Beside festival or celebration, possibly 3 sticks of incense joss stick were applied to the ancestor when request something from ancestors such as blessing example when need to travel far away from home for outstation/oversea.
5 sticks of incense joss sticks: Di Zhu Gong / 地主公. Only offering to Di Zhu Gong / 地主公 as represent The Five Great Dragon From Five Directions (五方五土龙神).
7 sticks of incense joss sticks: Seeking Help Purpose. (救命香) Mostly applied for seeking help purpose from the ancestor such as there are babies or small children in family member who often sick/ill or found out there another spirits from outsider in home. When having this kind of incident occur, Light up 7 sticks of joss stick ( with a pair of candles as represent open up the door link to the ancestor realms). Once the ancestor had notice (received the msg), ancestor will came thru the incense pot from their realm and assist at once to figure out what is happening in household.
9 sticks of incense sticks: Emergency Purpose(急救香)When household had facing some critical situations happening to the family members example battling again life in operations room, 9 sticks of incense sticks and a pair of candles been light up to the ancestor incense pot to called out ancestor for emergency help purpose as ancestor had fully responsible to watch /look after their generations.