Perhaps one of the most noticeable features of Balinese Hindu life is the daily offerings in front of every building, at every door step, at every wall, at almost any place you step or look. They are rich in color, often housing flowers, salt, grass, candies, pieces of food, incense, cigarettes. Depending on the size of the home or business, you can see multiple offerings--in fact, in the busier sections, you'll witness toppled ones that an errant foot hit on the way out without noticing the pretty packet at their feet.
At the villa where I stayed, Linda and Kadek, two wonderful Balinese women, prepared a lovely breakfast for us and set about making the daily offerings. The baskets are made of palm leaves, and sometimes are stapled into squares or other ornate patterns. The items that go in are different from day to day depending on the ceremonial days on the calendar (and there are many, many ceremonial days for the Balinese!).
On one of our last days in Bali, we passed the market where offering items are sold in bulk--it was like the Costco of religious offerings: huge bags of marigolds (we saw the marigold fields where they are grown), the other brilliantly colored flowers, incense, grass, spices, candies (do not try to eat those--they are only for the Gods), and cigarettes. I really wish I could have walked through that market!
On my last day in Bali, Kadek and Linda let me hold the tray of four baskets they had made, and they allowed me to wear the sarong one must wear before placing them at the small shrines in the home or at the doorsteps. The villa had a small shrine on the wall in the outdoor kitchen. Additional offerings went on the kitchen counter (the birds loved those after taking a bird bath in the private pool), and at the front door to the villa (I think my foot hit that one at least one time, and I felt very guilty).
This particular photograph is of an offering sitting on the wall next to my friend and me as we dined at an open air, ocean view restaurant--sippingon Bitang Indonesian beer and fresh watermelon juice. That day, I ate a sweet and sour prawn dish with a cone shaped rice in the center of the plate while my friend enjoyed Gado Gado, a wonderful vegetarian dish with a peanut sauce. Everything was just beautiful and artfully executed.
But the offerings, one of my favorite observations of Balinese Hindu life, were built into the daily routine as a natural extension of their general thankfulness for everything. I’m not one to embrace any religion, but I know I had thoughts that if I wanted to claim any religion, I admired Balinese Hinduism. When I was in Japan, I felt the same toward Shintoism. It was great to be in the midst of these new religions (at least to me) in contrast to the Christian practices and beliefs I am surrounded by in the United States. And for that, I was very thankful; it was like I could breathe again.
The narrative makes the photo come alive! It means so much more after reading your descriptive sentences! A truly fascinating experience that we are lucky to share with you! FAbulous detail to the image!
A lovely understated shot and a very interesting text, thank you. I couldn't help but be reminded of the the 3 good things some folk on 365 post under their pics every day.
