The ritual water procession has been preserved virtually in its original form, with its many water-related objects and activities both concrete and abstract, from releasing a captured aquatic creature back into its environment, washing statues of the Buddha and various deities, leaning pagodas with water, people bathing and washing, and so on, to prayers for rain and games which take place in water such as swimming contests, rowing competitions, and water puppetry.Īpart from taking rural religious belief as to the probable origin of water puppetry, it is also important to highlight a number of material factors which enable peasants to develop this form of entertainment by themselves. At agrarian festivals in rice-growing areas, one of the earliest forms of religions was the offering of prayers to various deities for good crops, since the results of the peasant’s labor depended heavily on seasonal rainfall.
The above-mentioned historical inscriptions confirm that water puppetry was in vogue in the court of the 11th century, and the existence of such records indicate that it must have existed even earlier in the rural villages where it was first performed. Only humble examples of water puppet theatres remain, such as the pavilion at Thay Pagoda, built in the Later Le period (about 1533-1708) and the one at Dong temple, built in 1775. The history of Vietnam is one of the successive wars which left in their wake destruction of the nation’s monuments and heritage.
Similarly, several literary works by Phan Truong Nguyen (12th century) and others by King Tran Thai Tong (1225-1258) appear to confirm that water puppetry was a courtly entertainment during the reigns of the Ly and Tran dynasties. In the above-mentioned passage from ancient literature, the scholar Nguyen Cong Bat was clearly describing a scene from water puppetry possibly attended by the then King. A Courtly musical prelude is played, the door to the grotto opens and fairies appear in a dance entitled The Wind Comes while singing in praise of Good Fortune flocks of birds dance and twitter, herds of innocent deer jump for joy. Casting a glance at the bank, it opens its mouth to spurt waters towards the jetty, turns its face up to admire the king’s crown, then bows its head to examine the immense sky (the clouds mirrored in the water, and the steeply-rising escarpment. “The golden tortoise, swimming in a leisurely way, carries three mountains on its head above the rippling waves, its carapace, its feet visible in the clear slow-moving waters. History of Traditional Vietnamese Water Puppetry People often said that it is often a great mistake if you do not watch the Vietnamese traditional puppet show in your Vietnam vacation. Enjoying a water puppet show will show you not only the outstanding performance but also the long-established culture, tradition, and customs of the S-shaped country. With the history of 4000 years, generations of Vietnamese people have created and maintained a lot of traditional arts and water puppetry is the best one among them.
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