The term ‘censer‘ comes from the Latin thus, Thuris “incense.” This is also the origin of censer’s synonym is derived: it is sometimes called ‘incense‘. In Latin, it was also referred to as thymiaterium, incensorium, and fumigatorium.

The thurible is a metal container, usually a vessel, equipped with a cover provided with openings. Inside the jar, on a thin layer of embers, is incense surrounded by grains. This causes the thurible to spill around a fragrant and aromatic smoke. This occurs during Catholic religious services, although the custom of burning incense or other fragrant essences always belonged to human religiosity, and similar objects to the thurible are present in many other cults and rituals.

Anciently thuribles were open, little more than boxes. They could be transported or hanged, but not shaken. Today there are fixed thuribles, also called incense burners: they are small open braziers or can be equipped with a perforated lid, but they can not be shaken. In the Ambrosian and the Eastern liturgy are still in use these thuribles.

The thuribles commonly used in Western religious services are equipped with four chains that make possible the suspension and ripple ritual with which they are shaken on the assembly of the faithful. Three of the chains are used to hold up the thurible, the fourth also serves to raise the lid and insert the incense.

The thurible is always accompanied by a further smaller vessel, the incense boat, which accommodates the incense stock. The altar boy clerk in charge of the thurible brings the latter in his right hand and the boat in his left hand, except he reverses his hands when presenting the two objects to the priest.

The thurible is used in some of the key moments of the Eucharistic celebration: the beginning, before the reading of the Gospel, during the Offertory, and at the moment of consecration.

During the funeral, the priest spreads the smoke of the thurible on the coffin containing the corpse to bless and purify it. Similarly, representations of the Virgin Mary and the saints are censered.

Censers and boats can be manufactured today with different materials, usually brass or bronze. They are often finely crafted, silver, gold, smooth, hammered, and decorated with high craftsmanship.

Ancient Russian Icons are paintings of inestimable value and absolute beauty.

Only revealed to the world in the early 1900s during an exhibition in Paris, they won unanimous approval and were immediately recognised as not only part of Russian heritage, but as something that belongs to all of humanity.

This immense value and global recognition derives from the artistic beauty of ancient Russian icons itself, but above all from the deep symbolic meaning and devotion of which they are imbued.

The true face of medieval piety is found in ancient Russian icons, devoid of all trappings and superstructure inevitably accumulated over the centuries and in the succession of the various world art trends. It is not just the appearance of the paintings, but also of materials used, the choice of colours, the context for which the icon had been made, the same approach you would take looking at a work of art.

The vision of God and the religion of our forefathers is revived in ancient Russian icons with shocking intensity, both from artistic and human points of few. Whole generations of painters drew inspiration from their vision, upsetting the history of art and decreeing a real revolution in markets and among investors worldwide. The ancient Russian icons market still remains among the most prosperous and sought after. Every authentic Russian icon must be accompanied by photos with valuation prepared by experts of the Ministry of Russian culture and export documents.

The origin of ancient Russian icons dates back to the fifth century and refers directly to the portraits of Mary attributed to Luke the Apostle, the Shroud and other depictions of Jesus and ancient Mary. The term ‘icon’ is derived from the Russian “икона”, from the Greek eikénai, ‘look like’, ‘appear’, or eikona that means ‘image’.

Ancient Russian icons are sacred images reproduced on usually lime, larch or spruce wood, covered with several layers of rabbit glue and plaster that were then smoothed with dried fish skin or sandpaper. In this way, they obtained a smooth finish without roughness, called levkas, perfectly accommodating painting and gilding. The colours were natural, of vegetable or mineral origin, mixed with egg yolk.

A characteristic feature was the frame, part of wood which contained the painting itself and represented the gap between heaven and earth, and the terrestrial and divine plan. Another feature was the gold plating of all parts and the use of dark colours alternating with clear ones to obtain a three-dimensional effect.

The liturgical stoles are a vestment worn by deacons, priests and bishops just under the chasuble. In particular, the deacons wear the liturgical stoles on the shoulders, passing on the left shoulder and tying them under the right arm; priests and bishops wear them simply around the neck, loose on the chest.

The liturgical stole stated itself as a typical vestment of the deacon, the priest and the bishop only in the 10^th century. Originally, it was called “map” or “sudarium”.

The deacon liturgical stole would come from “map” which was brought by the ancient priests on the left shoulder and worn to serve during the pagan sacrifices.

The “sudarium” was instead a cloth that speakers wore around their neck to dry and wipe away the sweat during the oratorical disputes; later, the priests began to use some sort of shroud to protect the face from the cold in winter or to wipe away the sweat.

Both these vestments, in time, would take the typical form of a strip, typical of current liturgical stoles, about 200-250 cm long and 8-10 cm wide.

The liturgical stole is usually made of silk, but it can also be packaged in another fabric.

Before the liturgical reform, liturgical stoles had a cross in the middle and at the bottom of each strip. Very ornate and rich patterns existed. Today the liturgical stoles tend to be much simpler.

The color of the stole depends on the occasion and the celebrations and follows the liturgical colors.

Incense has been used by mankind for thousands of years, since the ancient civilisations of Africa and Asia.

Its extraordinary effects on the body and mind have caused it to be considered from the beginning a kind of miraculous substance, suitable to the adoration of the gods, religious celebrations and in general to all that concerned the sphere of spirituality. The use of incense, as well as bark and fragrant wood, needed to appease the gods, to bring people together with them, or with the afterlife. The incense was also used to purify the environment and the body.

In all ancient cultures and in the great sacred texts of all religions, from the Bible to the Qur’an, there are references to the use of incense.

But what is the incense? It is a resin secreted by some in particular trees, dried and often mixed with aromatic wood, leaves, flowers and berries, which give the substance a different fragrance. The purity, the color and the size of the grains defining the various types of incense.

Even today there are many types of natural incense, incense mixtures, fragrant incense, balms and essences based incense. The use of incense is no longer limited to the environment and religious occasion, but also for example to the fragrance of the domestic environments and in many cases is aimed at the welfare of the person. In fact, many ancient medicines, such as Ayurveda, has always professed the benefits that natural incense can bring to the welfare and physical and spiritual health, and today the incense is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as in that of perfumes. It is used to produce creams and ointments, as an antiseptic for the lungs, as an adjunct in meditation, and in many other cases.

Even aromatherapy uses it extensively: there is evidence that the different types of incense may have significant effects on mood, stress reduction, anger, hormonal balance, and libido.

A fascinating feature is that you very often choose to work this precious substance according to ancient traditional methods, to maintain intact all the exceptional properties.

It is always good idea to be able to build a homemade nativity scene, customising and enriching it with unique details, populating it with figures chosen on the basis of their own experience, childhood memories, or just for the sake of finding something familiar and intimate in a tradition so old and beautiful.

But unfortunately we are always in a hurry, and very often the Christmas holidays coincide with periods in which work becomes even more pressing, commitments thicken, and the time to devote to what we really like diminishes more and more. This does not mean having to give up the nativity, not at all. Fortunately there are beautiful nativities that are sold ready-made, with all the accessories and figurines.

These are beautifully-made nativity scenes with huts, villages and perfectly reconstructed environments. They can be small, medium and large, depending on your needs and available space, and can be made of different materials, from stone to wood maple or olive, to porcelain, resin, for all tastes and all budgets.

Even the styles vary greatly: there are complete nativity scenes that recall the great Italian nativity traditions, from Neapolitan scenes to those of Val Gardena.

Buying a complete crib is comfortable and ensures a safe outcome for each type of house and furniture. Moreover, in this kind of nativity, the figurines are already all perfectly coordinated with each other, in a harmony of shapes and form that add elegance and sobriety. An order that is often lacking in DIY nativities is where figures differ to each other in size and style, and looking at them together is not always pleasant. Some of these ready-made nativities, then, may turn out to be real furniture and design objects, that will give value to your home or the home of friends who choose to give them away.

The human and religious history of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis, has been linked from the outset to a particular figure dear to Christians all around the world: that of St. Joseph. A thin connections, made of often fortuitous coincidences and a chain of small and large pieces that can, over time, create an extraordinarily vivid design with strong symbolism.

It is in the San Jose Buenos Aires church in 1953 that seventeen-year-old Jorge Mario Bergoglio discovers his vocation and decreed his desire to dedicate his life to God and mankind. So many years later, on the day of St. Joseph, March 19, 2013, that this boy became a man is devoted to the role of the Pontiff and Father of the Church.

Pope Francis had a long, arduous journey which he faced with courage, determination and optimism. It is journey that he has not undertaken alone. Pope Francis wanted St. Joseph with him, a good guide, a silent but attentive protector. Even today, in the private study of the Pope at Casa Santa Marta, there are two statues depicting the saint. One in particular is very dear to the Pope and has accompanied him since his life in the College Maximo San Miguel where he was rector. It is an unusual image for us, but very common among the Latin American faithful: a statue of St. Joseph sleeping.

The Pope wanted it with him when he moved to Italy from Argentina. It is a wooden statue, simple in the same way as the man depicted was himself, wrapped in his humble and true red robes. Yet the symbolic value of this picture is great. When sleeping, Joseph receives the messages of God who warned him of the danger posed by King Herod, and advises him to love and protect Mary and the Child. It is in this dream that Joseph takes on his putative role of Father of Jesus and of all people, an archetypal figure, protector, defender, comforter. Joseph is the careful and tender guardian of the family, the man, who welcomes and guards the mysteries of God, as he has consciously chosen to accept and protect Maria, the woman that God willed to be the holy and immaculate mother of his only Son . Joseph is the archetype of the Christian bishop, father and protector of the Church and all men and women who make it up.

This is why the Pope has the habit of putting cars under the statue of the sleeping saint that contain problems, requests for grace, and prayers of the faithful. It’s like inviting Joseph to ‘sleep on it’, and perhaps put in a word to God to solve difficult situations and help the needy, thus renewing his role as the merciful and protective father to those he loves.

“I also want to tell you something very personal. I really like St. Joseph, because he is a strong and silent man. On my desk I have a picture of St. Joseph sleeping. And while he’s sleeping, he takes care of the Church! Yup! He can do it, we know that. And when I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a piece of paper and put it under St. Joseph, because he dreams about it! This gesture means: pray for this problem! “

This is what Francesco said on the January 16, 2015 to the families gathered in the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. It was a very beautiful scene of simple and profound devotion which has prompted many faithful Italians to follow the example of the Pope and to put a statue of St. Joseph sleeping in their house. He is a really special saint that protects and even helps while he is sleeping!