Longshan Temple, one of Taipei’s most popular places of worship, has decided to limit the number of incense sticks worshipers can burn to one stick starting on May 5 in an effort to curb PM2.5 particulates.
The burning of incense releases PM2.5 pollutants — fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller in diameter — and other possibly carcinogenic materials into the air, and temple authorities have decided to limit the number of incense sticks that an individual can burn to one, Longshan Temple vice chairman Huang Shu-wei (黃書瑋) said.
Huang said the temple would inform worshipers of the new policy, and encourage them to go around the temple and worship all the gods and goddesses before placing their incense stick in an incense burner at the end of their tour of worship.
Photo: Chang I-chen, Taipei Times
The temple also plans to cut the number of incense burners at the temple from three to one, Huang said.
Worshipers tend to burn many incense sticks at the temple, placing them in incense burners along the way.
Huang said that since the temple first cut the number of incense burners from seven to three in 2015, many people have begun to “worship with their hearts” instead of burning incense to show support for the temple’s move, and the temple would now encourage this environmentally friendly practice.
The concentration of PM2.5 particulates remained high even after the reduction in the number of incense burners, especially on the first and the 15th day of each lunar month, and Huang said the temple considered removing all the incense burners at one point, but it aborted the plan after many worshipers implored temple authorities to keep at least one incense burner on the premises.
Asked if the temple would eventually remove all the incense burners, Huang said it would decide after seeing if the concentrations of PM2.5 improve.
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