Frangipani

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Bali has a tropical climate and there are all year round of this flowers. It can be white, red, yellow, pink or mix colors. The flower is very important among Balinese. It is used in the small offerings called “Canang.” These offerings are square-shaped and made from young coconut leaves. They include flowers, a slice of sugar cane, and other leaves. They serve as a thanksgiving expression to God. Balinese called frangipani as Jepun. There are “jepun bali” and “jepun jawa.” The wood of jepun bali is prized by woodcarvers for making free-form statues. The “jepun jawa” trunk is softer than the bali one. Nevertheless, the “jepun jawa” is more widely distributed. It can be found in every type of environment from the house compound till temple yards. The bali frangipani is in a smaller size then the jawa one. Women thread this flower in their hair, men wear them behind an ear or stuck in “udeng”, a head band.

Canang, a Thanksgiving Expression

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Canang is a Balinese language refers to daily offering made of young coconut leaf in square form made by folding the leaf and skewered by bamboo. On this square form leaf we put colorful flowers, “porosan”, a litle dab of lime paste plus  tiny sliver of areca nut wrapped up in betel  leaf and fruits mostly a slice of sugar cane or banana. Stick of incense and water are needed when we offer this thanksgiving expression to God.  As tourists you will see this offering in front of souvenir shops or dashboard of taxi in Bali. Bhagavad Gita (ix:26), one of Hindu holy books says Whosoever offers to me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, that offering of love, of the pure heart I accept.

Marriage

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Marriage is the final initiation into the Balinese community. Most Balinese consider it an important social obligation to raise a family and only a married man may become a member of a banjar “community”. A person never marries is looked upon as an oddity; if a man dies a bachelor The Balinese say that in the next life he will feed pigs, a woman task. If a woman dies childless, she is sucked by a giant caterpillar