Saraswati honours the goddess of knowledge, learning and the arts, and it is the day when books are treated as sacred objects.
Next dates
- 31 October 2026
- 29 May 2027 · to be confirmed
Offerings are made to books
On Saraswati, offerings are placed on books, manuscripts and sacred texts rather than only at shrines. Traditionally the books are not read on the day itself, because the knowledge in them is being honoured rather than used. Schools and libraries hold their own observances, and students take part directly.
Who Saraswati is
She is depicted with a stringed instrument, a manuscript, a lotus and a swan, and is associated with a flowing river, which is where the imagery of knowledge as something that runs and spreads comes from. As with every Balinese deity, she is understood as a face of the one supreme god rather than a separate god in her own right.
What you will see
It is a gentle, domestic day rather than a spectacle. You will notice offerings in places you would not expect, on a shelf of schoolbooks or beside a shop's ledger. Temples are busy in the morning, and many people wear ceremonial dress to work or school.
Time a stay around it.
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