Balinese Traditions: How We Prepare Segehan Every Day

I followed my wife to the riverside close to our home to gather some banana leaves for making offerings. You know, it's our tradition to make offerings for the gods, as all the Balinese Hindus do.

My wife walked along the road between the houses, followed by our cats. These cats are actually our pets. It started with one cat, but now there are nine. However, the number has reduced to five.

I walked behind her until we arrived at the garden by the river near our house. Well, it’s not really our garden—it belongs to the people in the area who live here. That includes us, of course.

I helped her gather the banana leaves, cutting their stems with a knife. She then trimmed the leaves from the stems and folded them to make them easier to carry. She also picked some orange bougainvillea flowers growing in the garden.

When we got back home, she began cutting the leaves into small triangular shapes. These serve as containers for the different colors of flowers used in the offerings. She placed all the triangles on the table and started arranging rice and flowers of various colors inside them. And that’s it—the offerings were ready. (the cats playing while she prepared the offerings)

These offerings are called segehan. They are meant for the spirits, and making them is part of our daily routine in Bali. There are even more offerings to prepare during temple festivals and ceremonies. Sometimes, I wish things could be simplified, but we feel more "spiritually right or correct" after we present the offerings.