Cultural News - Saraswati Day

Saraswati Day is held in honor of Saraswati who is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and learning is held every 210 days.

Saraswati is said to help the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to create, maintain and regenerate the universe. Thanks are given to her on this holy day.

The name Saraswati is obtained from two local Balinese words: sara and swaandthi. The two words translate to mean ‘the one who has all knowledge’ or ‘the one who gives meaning’. In some areas, the name translates to ‘one who is as a stream of knowledge’ who is thought to give understanding to those who are keen on learning.

The symbol of this goddess is a pretty four-armed goddess illustrated as playing the zither and holding up scriptures. This illustration is demonstrative of the thirst of knowledge.

The hallmark of the celebrations is the provision of offerings by locals regardless of their location: whether at school, at home, at the office, in the farm or in the temples. These offerings are varied, but the one similarity between them is the fact that the offerings are often placed in books and in the middle of pages with holy scripture. This is done in light of the celebration of knowledge, which one can get from these books.

Also, it is typical to see Balinese avoid reading or writing in books on this day as all the books are offered up to Saraswati. As evening falls, religious books are read in temples or at home to honour the goddess.

This year, Saraswati Day will be celebrated on Saturday, 26th March 2022. Ceremonies are conducted at temples and villages around on the Island.