Because some traditions, including the one I work, use fire to send things to the other side. The principle is that what is broken or destroyed in this world is whole in the next.
A number of traditions use fire as a way of destroying the physical aspect of something and releasing it to the universe or whatever you want to call it.
This is similar to burning something and letting the smoke rise such as incense. It is seen as a way to release your message or offering
Edit: it depends on how you see things. For me, I believe I can simply talk to my ancestors which would be akin to say a phone call. Or I can write a message and burn it which would be more like sending them a letter. To each their own I guess
Because some traditions, including the one I work, use fire to send things to the other side. The principle is that what is broken or destroyed in this world is whole in the next.
A number of traditions use fire as a way of destroying the physical aspect of something and releasing it to the universe or whatever you want to call it.
This is similar to burning something and letting the smoke rise such as incense. It is seen as a way to release your message or offering
Edit: it depends on how you see things. For me, I believe I can simply talk to my ancestors which would be akin to say a phone call. Or I can write a message and burn it which would be more like sending them a letter. To each their own I guess