先说”香”的由来。根据历史记载，香是最早由西域诸国向中原王朝献贡才传入中土。在早期大都作为消除疾病之用，以香礼佛的记载最早是从汉武帝开始。
在祭拜祖先时，人们都拈一柱香，借着缭绕的烟雾，传达心中的那份敬意与追思，在神像前燃香有祈祷意味。
香是人与鬼神勾通的工具，香烟绕徺上达九天，就是人与鬼神之间勾通的信号。
因此，很多时候，我们常常看到人在上香的时候会把想告诉祖先的话，如“祈求祖先保佑”等心理默念或者说出来，借此与祖先沟通。
敬香是以香达信，即使人的诚心诚意，通过香烟：达于神前。就足够了。法事进行中香烟不能间断。
香是道教祭祀活动中不可或缺的，香闻达十方无as 极世界，灵通三界与九幽冥界，是通真达灵的信物。所以在祭拜祖先时上香是不可以缺少的。
总结，燃香是一种表示尊敬、敬意和纪念祖先的方式。燃香的香味和烟雾象征着我们对祖先的虔诚、敬意和纪念。香味也能穿透时间和空间，比如将祖先的存在和影响带到当前，让祖先知道自己的后代仍然怀念和关心他们。同时，燃香还能让丧亲之人能够借此缅怀逝去的亲人，进行悼念和情感上的宣泄。
In many cultural traditions, burning incense sticks is a form of communication to send our prayers from Earth directly up to Spirit.
It is also a way to show respect, reverence, and honor to ancestors. The scent and smoke of the incense symbolize our devotion, respect, and commemoration of our ancestors. The scent can also travel through time and space, bringing the presence and influence of ancestors to the present and letting them know that their descendants still remember and care for them. At the same time, burning incense can also allow those who have lost loved ones to remember and mourn their passing and express their emotions.
