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| Canang Sari Ritual |
BALI, INDONESIA: “It’s called a Canang Sari,” the woman said, as she set the small
hand-made bowl of colorful flowers and various items: rice, noodles, a rolled
cigarette, and a small candy bar. She bowed, waving her arm in a circular
motion, before setting down another Canang
Sari. “We do this every morning and
evening out of devotion to Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa, Hindu’s all-in-one god.”
Having been exposed to Hinduism in India, the notion of a Hindu all-in-one god struck me as odd until I
learned that it was a concept introduced by Christian missionaries in the 1930s
to make it easier for Bali’s Hindus to accept Christianity. Although Indonesia
is 90% Muslim, Bali is 90% Hindu and wherever you look you find the Canang Sari: they are set in front of
shops, on the beaches, in the small and large open court temples — just about
everywhere. The twice daily ritual is impressive as each Canang Sari takes time to construct; the coconut leaf bowl is hand
woven, decorated with flowers, and a assortment of goodies, before being set
down in a brief devotional ceremony. The Hindus of Bali have found ways of adapting
their faith to the Indonesian culture and legal system without provoking the fear
and antagonism of either the government or the other religions. Indonesian law
requires belief in a single god and as such recognizes just six religions: Islam,
Hinduism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. I’m not sure
how Confucianism can be construed as belief in a god, but so be it. It’s the
law. To obtain an identification card, Indonesians must indicate which religion
they profess; agnosticism or any other declaration is not permissible. Religious
freedom, they claim, is in this way protected.
