Why do Northerners choose bananas and grapefruits to burn incense?

Many types of fruits are placed on the altar by Northerners, of which bananas and grapefruit are highly valued and are the most popular offerings.

Bananas and grapefruit are the two main fruits on the offering tray of Northerners. During the Lunar New Year or important full moon days, many families must buy these two fruits to display incense on the altar of gods and ancestors.

Why do Northerners choose bananas and grapefruits to burn incense?

In the five-fruit tray of Northerners, bananas and grapefruit are two important fruits, even considered indispensable by many families. Once they have bananas and grapefruit, they can flexibly choose other fruits to present them beautifully and meaningfully.

The traditional way of displaying the five-fruit tray of Northern people is usually according to the concept of the five elements in ancient Eastern philosophy, 5 types of fruit corresponding to 5 colors symbolizing Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. In particular, a bunch of bananas is the most important ingredient, it must be green bananas, the color symbolizes the Wood element. The yellow color of grapefruit corresponds to the Earth element.

Northerners often choose bananas and grapefruit to burn incense. These are also the two main fruits in the five-fruit tray. (Photo: Teameastcoast)

When presenting a five-fruit tray, Northerners often put a bunch of bananas at the bottom and then put a grapefruit in the middle, decorating it with other fruits such as dragon fruit, papaya, and tangerine to make it beautiful.

A bunch of bananas has long fruits facing up like a hand embracing and supporting all other fruits, symbolizing family reunion, gathering, warmth, care and connection. In the middle is a grapefruit symbolizing blessings, implying a wish for well-being and prosperity. The Wood element and the Earth element are both prosperous, showing good harvests and a prosperous and fulfilling life.

On normal full moon days, first days, and death anniversaries, it is not necessary to display a tray of five fruits on the altar. Families often choose beautiful and delicious fruits to offer according to their preferences. However, grapefruit and bananas are still often the most preferred choices.

How to choose bananas for incense

Bananas for burning incense are usually green, old bananas. (Photo: ChuoiPinterest)

Bananas used for burning incense should not be fully ripe because then the fruit will easily fall off. If you want to display a tray of five fruits, you must choose green bananas, old bananas, big, green, shiny and not young, angular bananas. Only green bananas can support other fruits, preventing the banana from breaking and the apples, oranges… above falling down.

You should choose a bunch of bananas with an odd number of fruits, because odd numbers are considered positive numbers, representing growth and development.

A banana with a beard will be more beautiful than a banana with no beard, because the beard on the banana is also considered to represent prosperity and good fortune.

Northern people often choose banana peppers to burn incense instead of western bananas because the banana fruit is long and curved, holding many other fruits. Some localities like Hue choose porcelain bananas, royal bananas, and honey bananas to burn incense because these are delicious bananas that were presented to the king in the past.

Before putting it on the altar, you need to use a paper towel to wipe the bananas clean, avoiding water stagnation on the stem, which will quickly spoil and rot.

Mistakes when preparing fruit for incense

Many families who buy fruit often wash it carefully to make it shiny and beautiful. However, this will cause the fruit to soon wilt or rot if water remains. You just need to use a damp paper towel to wipe it clean. For grapefruits with yellow or green moldy peels, you mix a little clean lime water, soak it in a towel and wipe evenly, the peel will turn beautiful yellow without worrying about water stagnation.

Choosing beautiful ripe fruits is also a mistake because the five-fruit tray is usually left for a few days. If the fruit is too ripe, it will quickly spoil and spoil through the incense burning process.

Therefore, when choosing fruit to burn incense, you should choose old, ripe or moderately ripe fruit so as not to become soft or rotten before the family has finished reaping the blessings.