How can I bring elements of Balinese culture into my daily life?

Short answer

Start with the idea behind it all: Tri Hita Karana, the Balinese philosophy of harmony between people, nature and the spiritual, recognised by UNESCO through Bali's subak rice terraces in 2012. In practice that means a small daily gesture of gratitude, like the canang sari offerings, cooking with base genep spice paste, drinking jamu and learning some gamelan, dance or Indonesian.

In detail

Canang sari are small palm-leaf baskets of flowers placed each morning at doorways, shrines and crossroads. You do not need to copy a Hindu ritual to keep the spirit of it: a fixed moment each day to give thanks, tidy your space or set an intention is what many visitors take home.

Balinese food travels well. Base genep, the 'complete' spice paste of shallots, garlic, galangal, turmeric, ginger, chilli and candlenut, is the base of lawar, ayam betutu and many curries. Jamu, the Indonesian herbal drink tradition inscribed by UNESCO in 2023, is easy to make at home with turmeric, ginger and tamarind.

The arts are a good way in. Balinese dance was inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2015, and Ubud offers dance, gamelan, wood carving and offering-making classes. Learning a few words of Bahasa Indonesia, or Balinese greetings like 'om swastiastu', is appreciated and keeps the link alive once home.

Respect matters as much as enthusiasm. Wear a sarong and sash at temples, avoid using sacred symbols as decoration, and buy crafts from the villages that make them, such as Mas for wood carving or Celuk for silver.

Good to know

Take a cooking class and ask for the base genep recipe to cook at home.
Join an offering-making workshop in Ubud to understand the meaning before imitating it.
Learn ten words of Indonesian before you arrive.

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Sources

Rules and prices in Indonesia change often. Always check official sources before you travel.