Ever since then, water puppetry has evolved in many ways but it is still very much the same in its essence. The puppet masters would keep their feet deep inside the muddy water and manipulate the puppets with their fingers along the strings on a stage built around the fields. Water puppetry served as an entertainment source for the rice farmers of Vietnam in the olden days. There is also a show of fireworks making the night skies colourful and the entire scenery completely breathtaking and giving an amazing night at Vietnam.
In addition to music, the use of light plays a significant role as well to highlight the dramatic parts making the performance even more interesting. The gestures of the puppets are very expressive and the music is executed perfectly in sync with the story and the singers even shout words of encouragement to which the puppets react sharply.
Even though the language of delivery is Vietnamese, it is not hard to understand what is being conveyed on stage. The performances are enhanced by the use of music created with instruments like cymbals, drums, horns, single-stringed guitars, etc. The puppets are portrayed in many creative ways like boys riding on buffalos and dragons appearing suddenly from underwater. Water puppetry provides a great source of entertainment for both the young ones and elders alike and is a very unique thing to do in Vietnam. Water puppetry originated from North Vietnam in the 11th century, from the Red River Delta is one of the many traditions that are very close to the hearts of Vietnamese people back when Vietnam witnessed a lengthy period of peace and prosperity after the year 1010, people were motivated to relax more and organize festivals and performances that would later become the country’s traditions. Water Puppetry in Vietnam Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons Mainly in the northern region of Vietnam, The art of puppetry flourished but it spread all over the country through the years. It is not just a great source of entertainment but also a form of art that needs extreme precision and tremendous practice. Water puppetry is exactly as it sounds – puppets dancing and moving along the water, controlled by the invisible hands of the puppet masters. But the Vietnamese Art of Water Puppetry is something that is very unique and a culture of water puppetry integral to the Vietnamese people. Spotlights and colorful flags adorn the stage and create a festive atmosphere.Puppetry has existed in many parts of the world for as long as 4000 years. The puppets enter from either side of the stage, or emerge from the murky depths of the water. The musicians and the puppets interact during performance the musicians may yell a word of warning to a puppet in danger or a word of encouragement to a puppet in need.
Singers of chèo (a form of opera originating in north Vietnam) sing songs which tell the story being acted out by the puppets. The bamboo flute's clear, simple notes may accompany royalty while the drums and cymbals may loudly announce a fire-breathing dragon's entrance. The instrumentation includes vocals, drums, wooden bells, cymbals, horns, Đàn bầu (monochord), gongs, and bamboo flutes. The puppets are carved out of wood and often weigh up to 15 kg.Ī traditional Vietnamese orchestra provides background music accompaniment. Up to 8 puppeteers stand behind a split-bamboo screen, decorated to resemble a temple facade, and control the puppets using long bamboo rods and string mechanism hidden beneath the water surface.
#Water puppetry at home portable#
Performance today occurs on one of three venues-on traditional ponds in villages where a staging area has been set up, on portable tanks built for traveling performers, or in a specialized building where a pool stage has been constructed. Modern water puppetry is performed in a pool of water 4 meters square with the water surface being the stage.
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