Bali’s rich culture and tradition have touched and inspired many, who have translated them into work of arts and more.
Recently, the resort island was in the international spotlight when Hollywood sweetheart Julia Roberts came to film Eat Pray Love, which was based on a novel of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert.
The book, and the film, tell of Gilbert’s journey to Italy, India and Bali in search of her identity. In the movie, Roberts, playing Gilbert, enjoys great food in Italy, learns yoga in India and ends her journey in Bali where she finds love.
My Offering by the UK-born author Philippa Goldie is the latest Bali-inspired book to hit stores.
The author, who has lived and worked in nine countries but has been based in Bali for the past nine years, found herself charmed by Bali’s canang offerings and captured them in colorful photographs splashed throughout the book’s 105 pages.
There are many different types of offerings found across Bali, but by capturing the beauty of canang, the author has shown her respect for Bali’s rituals.
Canang are daily offerings encased in a small and delicate banana leaf with floral bits and pieces. They are usually found in the doorways of homes, shops and even beaches. Their small size might make people mistake them as simple good-luck charms or even rubbish, but they are actually much more.
Through her photos, the author shows the charm and beauty of canang with their colorful flowers and more — from bits of betel nut and chalk to pandan leaf and coconut. Each symbolizes gifts for Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva — offerings within offerings.
Through her camera’s lens, Goldie notes how these days people slip in extra gifts like candy, money and even cigarettes, although the items do not have any significance. By focusing on canang, Goldie has captured the heart of the Balinese people’s dedication to tradition — since a canang lasts for only one day. The next day brings fresh offerings.
In the book, the author, who plans to pen more books on different subjects specific to Bali, tries to present canang as it is, without trying to complicate them.
Not a professional photographer by trade, Goldie said she briefly studied photography and found it interesting, and began to take her camera with her all the time.
“I find canang so beautiful, their vision and their meaning,” she said, adding that the book took her 18 months to complete.
“I have been photographing them for years and it seemed like the right subject to use when I wanted to give something back to Bali. My children have spent many afternoons with me taking photos. I have also had the privilege of being invited to many upacara [rituals].”
If you are looking for stories on Bali and its people, or more information on its culture and traditions, you will not find them in the book, the author’s first.
From the start, the author has devoted her attention to canang offerings alone, adding popular quotes from famous people to spice up her photographs.
In her two-page introduction, Goldie praises Bali as one of those magical places in the world. During her stay there she found that ceremonies and offerings were two of the most important elements of the Balinese Hindu religion.
She was fascinated by different kinds of offerings across Bali, presented to both gods and demons during different phases of the moon, for weddings, family occasions and special religious ceremonies.
“The gift of a daily offering expresses gratitude to the good spirits and appeases the demons; strikes a balance of peace, stability and unity between all, creating harmony.”
Goldie was also amazed by the fact that on a normal day, a Balinese family will lay around 30 canangs within their home, each in a specific position and for a certain reason, while on important occasions, which may reach eight or more each month, the number can double, even going into the eighties.
Despite her attention to Bali’s rituals, the author also captures the fact that busier lifestyles have opened up business opportunities for canang-making services, as more homes and businesses prefer to get ready-made canang.
Still, the tradition continues to be passed on to younger generation. The author noted how some women still make their own canang gathering in village halls to chat as they work on making the offerings, allowing a chance for their daughters to learn and carry on the tradition in the process.
The book is straightforward in presenting the canang offering as it is — simple but meaningful — and in its simplicity, the book may serve to complete a collection of books about Bali.
My Offering
By Philippa Goldie
Koko Bali Press 2010
105 pages
