iSurprise Flower Power

Beauty and beliefs

You won’t find a market like this anywhere in the world. The traditional market of Jalan Kartini is a fascinating fiesta of smells and colours complemented by true Bali smiles. This is where the locals come to buy their flower petals for their daily offerings.

Obligatory for offerings

Traditional offerings must be attractive and a great deal of time and effort is spent to make them so. The more important the ceremony the more elaborate the packaging. Leaves are laboriously cut, plaited and pinned together into decorative shapes (jejaitan), multi-coloured rice flour cookies (jajan) are modelled tiny sculptures and also eggs are used as symbols of new life.

Bali’s botanical gardens

Bedugul village in Bali’s northern mountains is the island’s centre for flower production. In Bedugul at 1,500 m altitude you’ll find the Kebun Raya Eka Karya botanical gardens, an often overlooked travel gem.

Useful flower vocabulary

Pacah: red, white or purple flowers used in daily offerings Gumitir: yellow crisan flowers Pecah seribu: special flower to honour the God of Wishnu especially on Holy days Jepun:frangipani or in local language Kamboja a typical Balinese flower. Cemper: small plates from young coconut leaves or lontar leaves