Monday, December 29, 2008

Water Puppet Theater

This endemic Vietnam experience in found in Hanoi and is pictured in one of our photos below. Water puppetry is said to date back 1000 years in Vietnam and they used rivers, lakes, or rice fields to perform the shows in the past. Now the shows are held in theaters in large water filled tanks. There is an elaborately decorated stage and behind it the puppeteers hide and stand in the water; maneuvering the puppets which are attached to very long sticks. The puppets are carved from water-resistant wood and are brightly painted. They depict peasant villagers and domestic animals, dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, war heroes and villains. Each short act tells a different story and the entire show is accompanied by live singers and a traditional Vietnamese orchestra.

We all agreed that this was a very unique experience and we were glad to have the opportunity to see it.

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