A tourist will simply stop and take a photo of these pretty little flower trays that are all over Bali. A traveler will ask the meaning behind them and how to make them!
Since I’m not a professional Canang maker, I will explain it all!
Canang or Canang sari, are the Balinese Hindus way of giving thanks to several of their gods, and they are handmade every day (typically by the women), which I learned isn’t easy at all to do.
You don’t just pick random flowers either! They must be a certain color, and so many are used that there are actual Canang flower farms, which is the main income for people in north Bali! (Aka don’t get mad I’m holding picked flowers since that’s what they’re meant for)
To make the trays, they use palm leaves that they cut strategically, and bark from the trunk filed into points to make “wood staples”. Again, not easy 😂 It took me 30 minutes on my first try, 20 on my second…and 2 minutes for the lady who taught me how to do it.
The flowers need to be arranged by color and direction:
🪷 White: facing east for Iswara
🌺 Red or Pink: facing South for Brahma
🌼 Yellow or Orange: facing west for Mahadeva
💐 Blue or purple: north for Vishnu
They also will put little candies, snacks, soda, beer, or/and incense in them. Which ends up getting destroyed by monkeys or birds.
You place the Canang at a shrine, temple, entry of house, business, or I’ve even seen them on motos!
Did you know the meaning behind Canang offerings?
If you visit Bali, please share this post to pass on the info and help us respect local cultures more!
For all of my tips for Bali and Indonesia in general, I have many many posts on my blog!
#bali #balinese #canang #canangsari #indonesia #hinduism #mylifesatravelmovie #travelblogger #globalcitizen #solotravel #solofemaletravel #solofemaletraveler
