Walk the streets of Bali, Indonesia, and you'll see small square baskets woven from leaves placed along the roadside, in front of shops, at the gates of homes. Inside are a few flowers. These are called 'canang sari' — a small offering made every day.
A Small Basket, and Flowers
'Canang' is Balinese for a small basket, and 'sari' means essence, or soul. Flowers and offerings are placed in a basket woven from palm leaves, with incense added, and offered up.
The colors of the flowers carry meaning too, said to each represent the gods who guard the four cardinal directions. The flowers are also said to represent the very heart of the person offering them.
Made and Offered, Every Day
Canang sari isn't something for special occasions. Balinese Hindus make them every day and offer them at homes, shops, and roadsides. It's said to be a way of showing gratitude to the gods, protecting that place, and settling one's own feelings.
Each one takes only a few minutes to make — a modest, humble thing. But moving your hands every day without fail, choosing flowers, and placing them — that repetition creates the rhythm of daily life.
The Habit of Giving Form to Gratitude
In wellbeing research, it's often said that the habit of consciously noticing gratitude in daily life increases a sense of happiness. Canang sari seems like a way of continuing that habit every day, in the form of 'weaving flowers and placing them.'
Not just thinking 'I'm grateful' in your head, but moving your hands and making it something visible. Painting may share the same root. Taking in what you've received, and putting it out into the world as color and form.
Mermaid nao's order art is, I believe, that same act of 'giving form' — just a single, somewhat larger instance of it.
[References]
Travel Standard Japan (What Are Bali's Adorable Offerings, 'Canang'!?)
Bali Travel Specialist GOH (Canang Sari)
Kura Kura Guide (Bali Hindu Offerings — Canang Sari)
https://www.travelwith.jp/area/asia/indonesia/bali/topics/post-10893/
https://www2.garudaholidays.jp/glossary/culture/canang_sari/
https://blog.kura2guide.com/hindu-balinese-offerings-canang-sari/?lang=ja
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