Susan has started going to an Episcopal church near SPU and reported (with characteristic understatement) "The thurifer did a 360-degree swing in the procession today; it looked tricky."
So I invited her to top this:
The Botafumeiro at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. ; )
(note how many men it takes to swing it.)
(this gives a good view of how far and how high it swings, and what it takes to tackle it to stop it.)
Wikipedia has an interesting article about Botafumiero, including this little nugget:
There have been a number of accidents that occurred during the swinging of the Botafumeiro over the years. Apparently at one time, the Botafumeiro was attached to the rope with a hook which sometimes became disconnected.
One of the most renowned accidents took place during a visit of Princess Catherine of Aragon. She was on a journey to marry the heir to the English throne in 1499 and stopped by the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. While it was being swung, the Botafumeiro flew out of the cathedral through the Platerias high window. No one was reported to have been injured on this occasion.
The ropes and other devices securing the Botafumeiro have also failed on May 23rd, 1622, and more recently in 1925 and July of 1937. In 1622, the Botafumeiro fell at the feet of the tiraboleiros. In July of 1937, the cords holding the Botafumeiro failed again, and hot coals were spilled on the ground.
Current procedure is to attach the rope to the Botafumeiro with a set of "sailor's knots".[17]
There's a great Ship of Fools discussion about censing at their Ecclesiantics page.
Whew. Makes me glad I'm a Covenanter; I don't think I could handle worrying about all this on top of everything else.
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