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| water puppetry | |
|---|---|
| Name | Water puppetry |
| Native name | Múa rối nước |
| Caption | Traditional performance |
| Country | Vietnam |
| Region | Red River Delta |
| Created | 11th century (traditionally) |
| Medium | Puppet theatre |
water puppetry Water puppetry is a traditional Vietnamese performing art originating in the Red River Delta region. It combines puppetry, music, and stagecraft on a water surface and is associated with rural village festivals, rice cultivation cycles, and communal celebrations. The form has been practiced by communities around Hanoi, preserved by institutions such as the Thăng Long Water Puppet Theatre, and presented at national events including the Nguyễn dynasty court commemorations and contemporary cultural festivals.
Water puppetry developed in the flooded rice fields of the Red River Delta during the period of the Lý dynasty and the Trần dynasty, with roots attributed to village rites after harvests and flood seasons. Performances were historically sponsored by local patrons, temple committees, and landholding families in the environs of Hanoi and the provinces of Hưng Yên, Nam Định, Thái Bình, Hải Dương, and Hà Nam. Throughout the late imperial era performers interacted with mandarins of the Nguyễn dynasty, itinerant troupes traveled to provincial fairs and imperial celebrations, and episodes reflected stories from The Tale of Kiều, Legend of the Sword Lake, and regional folk cycles. During the colonial period under French Indochina water puppet troupes adapted repertoire for urban audiences in Hanoi Railway Station districts; post‑1945 cultural policies under the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and later the Socialist Republic of Vietnam supported formalized training and the establishment of state troupes. Preservation efforts have involved museums such as the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and collaborations with international festivals including the Avignon Festival and exchanges with ensembles from France, Japan, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, China, South Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Australia, Canada, Russia, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Greece.
Performances are staged on shallow pools within purpose-built theaters such as the Thăng Long Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi or temporary village stages at Tết festivals and market fairs in provinces like Hưng Yên and Vĩnh Phúc. Puppeteers work behind screens beneath the waterline, operating through long bamboo poles and specialized hollow rod mechanisms while wearing attire influenced by traditional Vietnamese dress worn at events like Tết Nguyên Đán and village rites. Typical narratives draw on episodes from the Annals of Đại Việt legends, episodes of the Trần dynasty fighting scenes, and pantomime sequences reflecting stories like the Dragon King legend and the Legend of Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ. Staging incorporates pyrotechnics for major festivals such as Đông Hà Festival and props referencing agrarian objects used in the Mid‑Autumn Festival and harvest ceremonies.
Puppets are carved from woods commonly available in the region—species traded historically through markets in Hanoi and ports like Hải Phòng—and finished with lacquer techniques linked to artisans associated with the Bát Tràng pottery and lacquer workshops patronized by the Nguyễn dynasty court. Artisans have ties to guilds operating near craft villages such as Vạn Phúc, Phù Lãng, and Bát Tràng. Puppet types include dragon figures recalling the Dragon King iconography, farmer and buffalo figures drawn from Đồng bằng sông Hồng life, and characters borrowed from courtly narratives like the Tale of Kiều and episodes from the Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư. Materials and pigments reflect commercial exchanges via ports with merchants from Cochinchina, Tonkin, and trading centers tied to the South China Sea networks.
Music is provided by traditional ensembles employing instruments such as the đàn bầu, đàn tranh, wooden drums, cymbals, and the trống family, with melodic and rhythmic patterns shared with performance genres like ca trù, hát chèo, hát tuồng, and village ritual musics of the Red River Delta. Musicians, who often perform from a nearby pavilion or behind the stage, use repertoire that signals actions—dragon swims, buffalo plows, market scenes—and draw from repertories catalogued by institutions including the Vietnam National Academy of Music and the Hanoi Conservatory. Major state events and diplomatic tours have featured water puppet music presented at venues such as the Vietnam Opera House and during performances for delegations from the United Nations, ASEAN, European Union cultural missions, and bilateral cultural programs with France and Japan.
Water puppetry functions as both entertainment and communal ritual tied to agricultural calendars, rice harvest thanksgiving ceremonies, and temple festivals dedicated to local deities venerated at sites like provincial communal houses and folk shrines in Hanoi districts and rural communes. It mediates collective memory through depictions of founding myths—references to Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ—and civic narratives invoked during national commemorations such as Reunification Day and anniversaries of the August Revolution (1945). The art is incorporated into cultural diplomacy at state receptions hosted by the Government of Vietnam and municipal events run by the Hanoi People's Committee.
Formal instruction occurs at conservatories and troupes including the Thăng Long Water Puppet Theatre, regional cultural centers in Hanoi, and provincial houses of culture in Nam Định, Hưng Yên, and Thái Bình. Master puppeteers often trace lineages to village families and apprenticeships linked to performers who worked for the Nguyễn dynasty court or regional patrons. Notable ensembles tour internationally and have collaborated with directors and choreographers from theaters such as the Comédie-Française, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, and contemporary dance companies from France, Germany, United States, and South Korea.
Since the late 20th century water puppet troupes have adapted performances for tourism markets in Hanoi and UNESCO‑related cultural promotion programs, appearing at festivals like the Hanoi International Film Festival and in programs run by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. Innovations include contemporary narratives about urban life and environmental themes presented at venues in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and cultural exchanges with arts festivals in Paris, London, New York City, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Bangkok, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto, Vancouver, Moscow, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. Conservation projects involve the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, craft cooperatives in Bát Tràng, and training programs supported by cultural ministries and international partners such as agencies from France, Japan, United States, Germany, and UNESCO initiatives.
Category:Vietnamese performing arts Category:Puppetry