Things you always wanted to do

There's a video going viral in certain quarters of the Pope's recent visit to Santiago di Compostella, where the Botafumeiro (a large thurible) was swung especially.  Of course, it's usually put in flight on Sundays and feast days.

Because Compostella was one of the great pilgrimage churches, it is thought that the Botafumeiro was originally made so that a large amount of incense could be burnt in order to ameliorate the smell of people who had walked from France.  There's a physics side to it, however -- it may also have functioned as one of those little monastic experiments looking at pendulums.


Youtube has a host of videos of the Botafumeiro, and I thought I'd link one that gives a good view of how the Tiraboleiros get the great vessel to fly.

Now, if you've always wanted to give swinging the Botafumeiro a try, you can do so without leaving the comfort of your present location with this online simulator.  You might want to watch the guys in the video for some tips...