This is our entry in The Daily Post Photo Challenge: Dense.
This photo was taken in a small roadside shop near Huế, Vietnam. These incense sticks are hand-rolled by the shop owner from ground-up agarwood. The color (mixed with agarwood) is hand-applied to a few inches at the end; each color contains a pleasant natural scent.
Incense is burned as an offering to ancestors and gods; this practice is called thurification. The smoke is a form of communication and spiritual food. Multiple sand-filled pots are placed near temples, shrines, and other sacred places for holding the incense sticks upright as they burn.
Specs are:
Canon 100D, ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/8 sec, 35 mm
iball round the world 