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Incense sticks, joss sticks, pineapple candles, red paper lanterns with messages (prayers, good whishes), are all synonymous with Chinese Buddhism and the New Year.
In Hokkien, pineapple is read as ‘Ong Lai’. Phonetically, ‘Ong’ is similar to the character for fortune or prosperity, whereas ‘Lai’ sounds like the character for coming. As such, pineapples are often seen as a symbol of good luck, inviting wealth and success upon oneself. The candle itself is often seen encased in a rounded clear glass holder with symmetrical protrusions, closely resembling the shape of a pineapple. The body of the candle is also normally made from yellow or orange-colored wax to better mimic the natural hue of a pineapple’s flesh or its skin, topped overhead with a layer of green wax to signify the leaves.

Mostly decorative in nature, the Pineapple Joss Candle is often lit before home altars or shrines, typically during large festive celebrations like Chinese New Year.