This year's Sanur Village Festival, being held from August 21 to 25, and centred on the Sunrise Beach area in Sanur, will be dominated by the theme of bamboo. 

From ceremonies to kites and traditional architecture, bamboo has a special place in Balinese culture and society. In many Balinese households bamboo stems and leaves are used on an almost daily basis.

Dharmaning Gesing

According to Research Gate, bamboo symbolizes welfare and safety and is one of the three plants always used in Balinese rituals, the other two being banana and coconut. 

Bamboo has a special place in Balinese culture and society and is the theme for this year's Sanur Village Festival. Image by Pexels on Pixabay.

This year's Sanur Village Festival is called "Dharmaning Gesing" which translates to "a matter of glorifying or an obligation to do good," say Tagar.

Ida Bagus Gede Sidharta Putra, more commonly known as GusDe, Chairperson of the event and the Sanur Development Foundation, told local newswires that bamboo was the subject of discussions around philosophical awareness in Bali and this year has inspired those communities involved to continue to be creative and innovate.

The importance of unity and sustainability

It is "the spirit and the motto of life for the Balinese people," he said, explaining that because bamboo trees always grow in groups they symbolize togetherness and the importance of unity.

Environmental awareness and sustainability are topics being discussed more openly in mainstream thinking in Bali these days. GuseDe explained bamboo also expresses sustainability, which teaches us to respect nature and the harmony of life on earth.

Cultural parades and traditional dance competitions will be part of this year's Sanur Village Festival. Image by Aditya Agarwal on Pexels.

Sport, culture and the environment

Organisers are expecting around 100,000 locals and visitors to attend this year's Sanur Village Festival, which they hope will also stimulate tourism in the area.

Visitors can expect to be entertained by a variety of sport tourism activities and competitions such as the Bali International Triathlon, Santrian Regatta Sailing, the Sanur Golf Tournament, futsal, tennis, yoga, jukung racing, a micro business exhibition, culinary bazaars, surfing and fishing contests, music, cultural parades and an International Kite Festival.

Releasing baby sea turtles will be one of many environmental activities on offer for visitors. Image by skeeze on Pixabay.

GusDe said there would also be a variety of environmental actions, including releasing baby sea turtles, beach cleaning, planting mangroves, environmental awareness education activities, and green campaigns involving local residents and tourists.

Nusa Bali are reporting organisers hope to reinforce the Balinese government's ban on single use plastic bags and to use "environmentally friendly materials while increasing economic value and usefulness," explained GusDe, adding "we also ask for visitors to participate in protecting the festival area from plastic."

Sources: Sanur Village Festival Tagar, Nusa Bali, Tribun News, Research Gate

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