Botafumeiro - can you smell the incense?

[JustJack]

Sounds like a dumb question perhaps, but just curious, if you attend mass in SDC, and are lucky enough to see the botafumeiro swing, can you actually smell the incense? I see big clouds of smoke coming from it, so presumably you'd be able to smell it, but because it's swinging up above the people it's possible that not a lot of the scent reaches the people below.

I'm a bit of an incense collector, with various types from all over the world, so I'm hoping to see the botafumeiro, but also smell it. I want to lock that smell in and link it with my memory (smell is one of the strongest memory recalls).

 

[SabsP]

Sounds like a dumb question perhaps, but just curious, if you attend mass in SDC, and are lucky enough to see the botofumeria swing, can you actually smell the incense? I see big clouds of smoke coming from it, so presumably you'd be able to smell it, but because it's swinging up above the people it's possible that not a lot of the scent reaches the people below.

I'm a bit of an incense collector, with various types from all over the world, so I'm hoping to see the botofumeria, but also smell it. I want to lock that smell in and link it with my memory (smell is one of the strongest memory recalls).

Yes, I could smell it.
Btw the correct spelling is " botafumeiro ".

Botafumeiro - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Yes, you smell it if you're really near the bota, and if you are patient.
It takes a little while for the really heavy part of the scent to fall back down from the ceiling. If you stay a little while in your pew once Mass finishes, esp. if you sit in the crossing, you'll get a full blanket of scent. I do not think it's rare and wonderful aloes and essences, because they use it in such quantities!
It pays to be contemplative.

 

[Saint Mike II]

On my three visits to Santiago I have been fortunate to see the botofumeiro awing three times. I have always sat on the north side of the alter and the smell of the incense was quite strong. But I agree with Reb - those down the back may not get the full waft.

 

[JustJack]

Btw the correct spelling is " botafumeiro ".

Botafumeiro - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thanks - I copied the (misspelled) word from another post.

 

[JustJack]

Yes, you smell it if you're really near the bota, and if you are patient.
It takes a little while for the really heavy part of the scent to fall back down from the ceiling. If you stay a little while in your pew once Mass finishes, esp. if you sit in the crossing, you'll get a full blanket of scent. I do not think it's rare and wonderful aloes and essences, because they use it in such quantities!
It pays to be contemplative.

Thanks for the tip to wait in the pews for awhile after for the scent to descend. And yes, I anticipate it will be a cheap type of incense, given the quantity. I'm curious how the smell compares to cheap incense that gets burned in temples and shrines all over asia.

 

[JustJack]

On my three visits to Santiago I have been fortunate to see the botofumeiro awing three times. I have always sat on the north side of the alter and the smell of the incense was quite strong. But I agree with Reb - those down the back may not get the full waft.

Curious how you know which side of the alter is north?

 

[Bradypus]

Curious how you know which side of the alter is north?

Older churches in western Europe are generally aligned so that the altar is at the east end of the building. Even where the geography of the site does not allow for precise alignments the altar end of the building is conventionally called "east". In a traditional cross-shaped cathedral like Santiago the main door is in the west facade, the two transepts are north and south. When standing in the nave of the church facing the altar north will therefore be to your left.

 

[JustJack]

Older churches in western Europe are generally aligned so that the altar is at the east end of the building. Even where the geography of the site does not allow for precise alignments the altar end of the building is conventionally called "east". In a traditional cross-shaped cathedral like Santiago the main door is in the west facade, the two transepts are north and south. When standing in the nave of the church facing the altar north will therefore be to your left.

Excellent. Having gown up catholic (albeit in Canada, not Europe) you would think I'd have already known that! Thanks for teaching me something new.

 

[JR9162]

I didn't smell any incense burning. However, I knew they were about to fly the botafumeiro during a particular mass I was attending because I could smell the wood smoke / charcoal burning before they brought the device before alter and attached it to the rope. Then the incense was added to the brazier. The wood smoke was the only scent I smelt. The addition of the incense produced a profuse smoke. A cardinal officiated that particular mass.

 

[Barbara]

Yes, you can smell it. All the time, to be honest, but much stronger during use and just after it's been used. It does cling.

 

[estorildon]

It almost drowns out the body odor of your fellow pilgrims who haven't properly washed their clothes for the past several months.

 

[t2andreo]

Sounds like a dumb question perhaps, but just curious, if you attend mass in SDC, and are lucky enough to see the botafumeiro swing, can you actually smell the incense? I see big clouds of smoke coming from it, so presumably you'd be able to smell it, but because it's swinging up above the people it's possible that not a lot of the scent reaches the people below.

I'm a bit of an incense collector, with various types from all over the world, so I'm hoping to see the botafumeiro, but also smell it. I want to lock that smell in and link it with my memory (smell is one of the strongest memory recalls).

Oh yeah - especially if you are sitting in one of the side transepts, within the arc of the Botafumeiro's travel. As a frequent attendee at Cathedral Masses, a lector, and even as a Tirabolierio (rope puller), I can testify to the strong smell of Frankincense and perhaps Myrrh. As a "Cradle Catholic," it brings back many lifelong memories and experiences.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[joramos]

Curious how you know which side of the alter is north?

When I attended mass at the Cathedral late 2022, I was initially seated at the left side (facing the altar). Hoping to have a better view of the swinging of the Botafumeiro, and the mass service, I moved to the center pews. Needless to say, when the swinging of the Botafumeiro happened, I did not see its entire beautiful evolution. I realized later that they will not swing the Botafumeiro towards the altar!

Lesson: Sit on either side of the altar to fully witness and enjoy the swinging of the Botafumeiro and its incense.

 

[MarioM]

Sounds like a dumb question perhaps, but just curious, if you attend mass in SDC, and are lucky enough to see the botafumeiro swing, can you actually smell the incense? I see big clouds of smoke coming from it, so presumably you'd be able to smell it, but because it's swinging up above the people it's possible that not a lot of the scent reaches the people below.

I'm a bit of an incense collector, with various types from all over the world, so I'm hoping to see the botafumeiro, but also smell it. I want to lock that smell in and link it with my memory (smell is one of the strongest memory recalls).

When I was there it smelled a lot. Historically it was used to mask foul smelling pilgrims lol

 

[Stivandrer]

Curious how you know which side of the alter is north?

"Cathedral oriented to the east. The arrow indicates the west front entrance."

My father was a Lutheran Pastor , so our free roaming area as kids was in the knave of the church:

Morning light always came in streaming through the Altar windows. As protestants we would not kneel at the altar, but this always stopped me in my tracks and left me gaze in awe at the glorious light.....

 

[chinacat]

The smoke from burning Frankincense is anti-microbial, so would have/does purify the air. That of Myrrh is mucolytic, so do go to see the bota swing if you have a cold/flu …
… or not …


I once used frankincense to detoxify the air in a classroom where there had been a dead rat under the floorboards (killed with rat-killer).
The children were fascinated

 

[roamingpaddy]

I was lucky enough to see it swing yesterday but didnt smell anything but then since I got covid last year I notice my smell is greatly reduced due to either the covid or the booster vaccines.

 

[NorthernLight]

Just fyi, when I was last there, the front row seating on the north side had a small sign on it saying that priority seating here was for pilgrims with a Compostela. So you can wave your Compostela at whoever is there and insist in a seat. Since I already had a perfectly lovely seat in the third row, I did not exercise any ‘right’ I might have had to oust the lovely señors y señoras from that row.

How they break up the fight between all the hundreds of competing pilgrims, I do not know.

 

[Former member 104145]

As a former altar boy, it smells exactly the same as it did when I was clerking Devotions, Benediction and Funerals as a wee boy in late '60's early '70's Ireland.

 

[Bert45]

... the north side of the alter ... which side of the alter is north ... brought the device before alter ...

I'd like to alter the spelling to 'altar'

 

[t2andreo]

As one faces the high altar, NORTH is to your left. SOUTH is to your right. These are the transepts where the Botafumeiro swings through it's arc of motion.

The main Cathedral entrance faces WEST and the ALTAR faces EAST - as is traditional - at least in the early years of the Church.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Saint Mike II]

Curious how you know which side of the alter is north?

Well - the Cathedral - like almost all catholic churches runs East - West with the alter at the Eastern end. So as you face the alter North is on your left. Plus I have been to Santiago enough times to know where North is. Additionally in 2015 during works on the Cathedral "Portico de Gloria"(West door) all paritioners were entering via the South doors and exiting via the North doors. Hope this explains. Cheers

 

[dick bird]

The general consensus seems to be ‘yes’ and as you face the altar, you are looking east. Thank you to everyone.