Canang Sari: Balinese Flower Offerings

The making of flower offerings is a sincere sacrifice made by the people of Bali in order to worship and

thank God

Everywhere you go on the Island of Bali, and you will see beautiful offerings, consisting of flowers, rice, fruits, and cakes in a small square woven basket originally made from coconut leaves. The Balinese make from 25 to 150 offerings a day depending on how large the household. Canang refers to the basket while sari refers to essence of the contents of the offering.

Offerings are often placed on an altar, in offices, in kitchens, at beaches, in restaurants, dashboards of cars, motor bikes, shops, roads, house entrance, beneath the trees, statues, rivers, lakes, and other places in need of blessings. The Balinese believe that any place that receives regular offerings accumulates sacred energy, eventually becoming sacred itself. Walk down a street in Bali and you'll see hundreds of offerings, lovingly and thoughtfully crafted pieces of art.

More extensive offerings are found at Balinese festivals, rites of passage, and other ceremonies. Offerings can be a huge undertaking, requiring extended families, neighborhoods, or even whole villages to work together for weeks or months to finish. Each element is a symbol and each color carries meaning. You will commonly see exotic fruits built into a pyramid on a golden tray, to be carried to the temple on a top of a woman's head.

For the Balinese, offerings are the most visible and important part of their religious activities, this ritual is a unique characteristic of Balinese religious practice. The task of making offerings is mostly a chore of Balinese women, and they work together to prepare offerings in a social interactive group. The art of offering making

is transferred from generation to generation; the learning process begins in childhood.

Copyright 2011, Ni Wayan Ekarini