Take the day off from work or learning, no books must be opened today!
Procession to Pura Taman Saraswati by FabIndia, on Flickr
Procession to Pura Taman Saraswati by FabIndia, on Flickr
When: Every 210 days, June 16th 2012.
Where: Bali, Indonesia.
The Saraswati festival is celebrated in honour of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music and the arts. Saraswati is a beautiful woman with four hands, riding on a white swan. It it is said that that knowledge is like a beautiful woman, chased by all men for all of their lives and that with knowledge man can distinguish between good and evil.
Saraswati is one of the most revered and popular Goddesses in Bali. Her gigantic statue can be found in every school, college and university all over Bali. In her four hands, Saraswati holds a palm leaf manuscript called a lontar (representing the source of knowledge), a genitri (a chain with 108 pieces, symbolising that knowledge has no ending), a wina musical instrument (symbolising that science is as beautiful as the sound of wina), and a lotus flower which is a symbol of holiness. She rides white swans (prudence) among lotus flowers (water lilies are a holy symbol in Bali).
Families collect all their books, clean them off and dust them down, then place them in the family or school temples. Every place of learning and office is decorated lavishly, with shrines to the Goddess placed in the northeast corner of the building. Ornate offerings of food are taken in solemn procession to the piles of books in the temples and students and office workers get the day off as nobody is supposed to use books on Saraswati!
When is Saraswati?
In Bali Saraswati occurs every 210 days according to the Balinese Pawukon (cycles) calendar. The celebration of Saraswati is during the morning only. No celebration is held after noon as it is believed that the goddess returns to heaven then.
In the eastern part of India, West Bengal, Bihār and Assam, Saraswati Puja is celebrated in the Magha month (January / February).
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| BALINESE FOOD & DRINK | TRAVEL INFO | FURTHER INFO & USEFUL LINKS | SHARE | LEAVE A COMMENT |
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Balinese Food & Drink
Eat Satay, try our recipe for Pork or Chicken Satay. Drink Beer Chiang, a popular malt-liquor, or Mekong and Sang Thip (two of the more popular local “whiskeys,” that are in fact rums!). Try Arak, a Balinese liquor which is distilled from tuak, a sweet wine made from the coconut palm flower.
Travel to Bali
The capital city Denpasar has an airport. Book flights and hotels with ebookers.com or complete package holidays with Kuoni.
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Give your home an island feelWe have found you some beautiful bamboo and coconut shell candles to give a tropical feel to any summer celebration. There are also some pretty hibiscus flower floating candles too! |
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Further information & useful links |
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Kunde Habba
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