What do you do when there’s a monsoon and your fields are flooded? Why, you put on a show of course. Farmers who spent their days in flooded rice fields discovered that water was an excellent medium for puppetry, it not only concealed the puppeteers’ rod and string mechanisms, but it also provided exciting effects like waves and splashes. And this is how water puppetry was created.
Originated in the 10th century in the Red River Delta, the rural Vietnamese believed that spirits controlled all aspects of their life, from kitchen to the rice paddies. That is the reason why farmers in this region devised a form of entertainment and worship to satisfy these spirits. Today, the wood-carved puppets, which weigh up to 15 kilograms are accompanied by an orchestra of vocals, wooden bells, drums, gongs, horns, bamboo flutes, cymbals and monochord. Singers tell the stories through songs that are acted out by puppets.
>> To watch this show, simply click this link for "NOCTURNAL SÀI GÒN"