Offerings and feeding the unseen
Canang sari and the daily offering
The small palm-leaf tray of flowers and incense that Balinese Hindus set out each day for gods and for powers of the earth.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
On Bali, small woven trays of young coconut leaf called canang sari are set out several times a day at home shrines, in shops, at crossroads and on the ground by the door. Each tray holds flowers, a bit of rice or a sweet and a stick of incense. Balinese Hindus describe the offering as thanks and as a way to keep balance among gods, people and the powers of the earth.
This is an outline of a custom, said as belief and practice. It is not instruction, it does not say that the rite works, and it is not medical advice.
What goes into it
- Janur (young coconut leaf)PlantFolded into a small tray.
- Coloured flowersPlantOne colour for each direction.
- Rice or sweetOfferingA small share of food.
- IncenseOfferingA lit stick, with its smoke carried upward.
- Holy waterSubstanceSprinkled over the tray.
- Gesture of the handGestureThe fragrance is wafted toward the offering.
- Plant
- Offering
- Substance
- Gesture
Each part has an equal wedge. The ring shows what goes into the rite, not how much. Colour is the part's role.
The steps, drawn
Each drawing shows the kind of act in that step. Details differ from place to place, family to family and practitioner to practitioner.
Step 1: Gather Fold a tray from young coconut leaf and fill it with flowers. Step 2: Light Light a stick of incense. Step 3: Offer Set the tray high for the gods and low for the earth powers. Step 4: Cleanse Sprinkle holy water over it. Step 5: Speak Say a short prayer with the hands raised. Step 6: Close Leave the offering until it is eaten by animals or swept away.
Colours and places
The flowers are chosen by colour for the cardinal directions: white to the east, red to the south, yellow to the west and blue or green to the north. Trays are set high for the gods and low on the ground for the bhuta kala, the unruly powers, who are given their share so they will not be provoked. Holy water is sprinkled on the offering and the scent is wafted toward it with the hand.
Daily rhythm and change
Most trays are made by women, who may spend hours each day making them, and the offering is a mark of household identity. The tourist trade has brought many pre-made trays to sale, and waste from plastic and from the offerings themselves has become a concern. Visitors are asked not to step on them, and to treat them as part of a living religion and not as decoration.
What it is for
- Give thanks
- Keep balance with the powers of the earth
Who does it
Related entries
Also part of it, and being written: Canang sari (The offering itself.), Balinese Hinduism (The religion that holds it.), Animism (The wider belief.).
Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryJaadu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Closed or sacred detail is left out. If we have something wrong, tell us.