Question about pipe that smokes joints

I recently watched a documentary about the decriminalization of drugs in Portugal. Throughout the program, they showed shots of people smoking pot in public in various places. In almost every instance, there was at least one person smoking a pipe that looked basically like a small glass jar with a bent straw for a mouthpiece coming out the top. The thing is, rather than a bowl with weed in it, there was a place to stick a joint. Kind of like the picture, just imagine no bowl. Or perhaps there is a bowl there and they stick a joint in it. In any event, all I really want to know is why they would smoke a joint through a pipe. That just seems redundant and nasty to me. There is surely something I'm missing here though, because like I said, numerous people in various places were doing it. Anybody know anything about this?

 

I realize that, it's just the closest I could find with a quick google search. Think of the clear glass ones you see like it, that's basically what they were using. Then imagine a joint stuck straight up in the bowl.....yea i'm having trouble wondering why too. The instrument is not of importance, it's the idea of smoking a joint through a pipe (bong) that I'm wondering about.

 

Maybe that's it, I dunno. It's just, why smoke the paper if you're going to use a pipe? Joint is more portable, pipe tastes better and is easier. It's like taking the worst of both worlds and combining them. Only thing I could think of is that they do it because they love mixing tobacco in their joints so much in Europe and maybe using the pipe is easier than making a filter out of cardboard like they do. Not sure, difference in tastes I guess. I go with the "keep it simple, stupid" ideology when it comes to smoking.