Is it okay to burn incense in the afternoon on the first day of the new year? What do I need to prepare for burning incense and worshiping Buddha?

Many people choose to go to the temple to burn incense on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar calendar. So is it a good idea to burn incense in the afternoon on the first day of the new year? Do I need to prepare anything to burn incense and worship Buddha?

Is it okay to burn incense in the afternoon on the first day of the new year?

You can burn incense in the afternoon or in the morning .
1. According to China's traditional customs, on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, people have the custom of going to temples to burn incense, worship Buddha, and pray for blessings and peace. This custom comes from Buddhism, which stipulates that believers must fast, recite scriptures, and worship Buddha on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, which is actually equivalent to Sunday, and then spread among the people.
2. In fact, the number of times you burn incense is not important. Generally, it is done once in the morning and once in the evening. There is no need to pay attention to a specific time, you can do it any day. The rest of the time, it’s up to you and convenient. As long as you want to burn incense and worship Buddha, now is the best time, because now is the time when you have both faith and aspiration, and you just need to act. Buddhism emphasizes faith, aspiration and action.

What do you need to prepare for burning incense and worshipping Buddha?

1. Offerings : Flowers, fruits, and seasonal vegetables offered to Buddha must be clean. If you don’t know how to arrange the offerings, you can ask the incense master in the temple to do it for you. The flowers offered to Buddha should be placed in a vase and the fruits should be washed clean.
2. Incense <br/>When offering incense, just light one or three sticks in the large incense burner in front of the main hall. Method of burning incense: When burning incense, hold the incense between your thumb and index finger, and close the other three fingers. Hold the incense horizontally with both hands to the level of your eyebrows. Visualize the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas appearing before our eyes and accepting the incense offering. If there are a lot of people, hold the incense sticks upright to avoid burning others.