{"id":591,"date":"2021-06-15T07:54:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T07:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.etravelvietnam.com.vn\/?p=591"},"modified":"2021-06-15T07:54:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T07:54:00","slug":"water-puppetry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etravelvietnam.com.vn\/english\/2021\/06\/15\/water-puppetry\/","title":{"rendered":"Water puppetry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Vietnam\u2019s water puppetry opens a window into\u00a0local culture<\/a>, and is a fully realised art form enjoyed by young and old. Watch scenes of village life on an ever-changing stage, learn about festivals and traditions, and get to know quirky characters inspired by Vietnamese personalities. Here\u2019s a brief introduction to Vietnam\u2019s wonderful water puppets.
A short history<\/strong>
Every year during the annual rice harvest, farmers in Vietnam\u2019s Red River Delta region would gather for folk singing and dancing at village festivals. About one thousand years ago, water puppets were added to the list of performances at these festivals. The first shows were hosted in the harvested rice fields, which could be filled with water to create a watery stage.
Water puppetry as a folk art form evolved from serving everyday people to a show for royalty. \u00a0Under the reign of the L\u00fd Dynasty in the 12th century, the country\u2019s best water puppet troupes were chosen to entertain the king and guests, marking a new high for the art\u2019s social status. Many centuries later, water puppetry (m\u00faa r\u1ed1i n\u01b0\u1edbc<\/em>) still fascinates audiences, and is a cherished intangible cultural heritage of Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Setting the stage<\/strong>
M\u00faa r\u1ed1i n\u01b0\u1edbc<\/em>\u00a0is a physically demanding craft. Puppeteers stand in water throughout the show, and use the movement of the water to create drama, perfect the illusion, and tell a story. The puppeteers\u2019 secret lies in the material of the puppets themselves, which are made of buoyant fig wood and painted with lacquer. The puppeteers skillfully maneuver the puppet\u2019s arms using bamboo sticks and strings. It takes decades to become a master water puppeteer.
Today in Vietnam, water puppet shows are not presented in flooded rice paddies but in pools of water. These pools are decorated with red tiered roofs, flags, and parasols to resemble an altar inside Vietnamese communal houses. On both sides of the stage sit the musical ensemble who bring the stories to life using their voices and traditional instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A water puppet show<\/strong>
A traditional show always starts with an introduction to T\u1ec5u, the comedic host. T\u1ec5u is an iconic character, a whimsical storyteller who will lead you through different scenes and stories as they unfold on stage. The brightly coloured puppets recreate daily life in Vietnam\u2019s northern villages, including duck herding, fishing, rice planting, boat rowing, and royal parades. Some shows include depictions of Vietnamese folktales, which always carry a moral.
Where to watch
For a deeper understanding of the Vietnam\u2019s water puppets, visit \u0110\u00e0o Th\u1ee5c Village on the outskirts of Hanoi. Here you will find one of the last remaining water puppet workshops in Vietnam and learn about the making of the puppets. A beautiful outdoor stage hosts fantastic shows worthy of the village\u2019s 300-year-old tradition.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vietnam\u2019s water puppetry opens a window into\u00a0local culture, and is a fully realised art form enjoyed by young and old. Watch scenes of village life on an ever-changing stage, learn about festivals and traditions, and get to know quirky characters inspired by Vietnamese personalities. Here\u2019s a brief introduction to Vietnam\u2019s wonderful water puppets.A short historyEvery […]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-tradition","category-viet-nam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/etravelvietnam.com.vn\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/etravelvietnam.com.vn\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/etravelvietnam.com.vn\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etravelvietnam.com.vn\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etravelvietnam.com.vn\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/etravelvietnam.com.vn\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etravelvietnam.com.vn\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/etravelvietnam.com.vn\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etravelvietnam.com.vn\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etravelvietnam.com.vn\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}