Kadit is ... The origin and meaning of the burning ceremony

Orthodox ritual, as you know, is quite bright. Among its mandatory attributes is the ceremony of incense, which we will discuss in more detail below.

What is incense?

The meaning of the word "censer" is quite simple. It means to smell a fragrance in honor of a deity. Censing was used in religious ceremonial since ancient times and was a form of sacrifice. Strictly speaking, nothing has changed for today. In Judaism, this rite came, in all probability, from Middle Eastern paganism, where it was very popular. The Tanakh, that is, the Jewish Bible, contains detailed instructions on how the censer should look, what incense to put in it, and how to perform the rite itself. Kadit is for a believing Jew to worship God, proclaim his glory and fulfill one of his commandments. However, only members of the priestly corporation in special law and in special time were engaged in this. The Bible also contains an instructive story about how the two priests burned not the incense that was laid, as a result of which the Lord was angry with them and cursed them - this is how seriously they treated it in antiquity. After the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed (and in the Jewish religion there can be only one temple - in Jerusalem), this ritual was consigned to oblivion, because the laity do not have the right to do it. But it was preserved in Christianity, although initially it was not there. Kadit - this for Christians of the first centuries of our era meant to become like the Gentiles, who loved this rite very much. It was the affection of the Greeks and Romans to this ritual that averted the followers of Christ from him, who saw idolatry in him. Gradually, however, their position changed. It all began with a developed tradition of funeral prayers, when an unbearable smell came from the decaying body. He was drowned during the funeral service by burning incense, which soon acquired a ritual character. Thus incense penetrated into the Christian cult. Kadit is for the modern Orthodox the same as praying to God. Many believers are not only present at the incense in the temple, but also make it at home with the help of special devices.

Parallels in other religions

Practically in all religions there is something similar to incense. Kadit means to present a special gift to the deity, which is both material and spiritual. The closest parallel to Christian incense is the tradition of burning incense sticks in Buddhism and Hinduism. Known similar ceremonies in the popular religions of the tribes of Africa and America.