theatre on the rice paddies
by Tgirl4
Hanoi, Vietnam
Actually I liked it all.
The building looked like a church with all the seats. We sat in the very front row. Just in front of us was the water. Next to the water was a stage where the people played their instruments. There were big drums and something that looked a bit like a guitar and a bamboo pipe and some others I don’t know. Some ladies sing-ed and it was nice music. When the show started, puppets came out of the green gate. My favourite puppet was the one that got a basket on the other person’s head, that basket-y one. He was trying to catch fish, but he caught his wife instead. I also liked the puppets on the boat and the dragons that squirted water; they were really funny. There was a water buffalo with a boy puppet on its back and we have seen real water buffalo in the rice paddies and when we were riding elephants in Thailand on the trek there were some in the river. Oh and the phoenix dance was funny. The bird laid an egg and a little phoenix hatched out of it in the water. (to be totally honest, T4 said “duck dance” and Mama corrected it!)
Mama adds:
The water puppet theatre, which was originally performed by farmers on the flooded rice paddies over a thousand years ago, is now performed in a theatre with a custom-made pool and stage for musicians. I think you have to grow up with Asian music to truly appreciate it, especially the wailing song. Interesting instruments though, and EVERYONE loved the puppets. They are a basic entertainment – no strobe lights, no fast-paced action or frequent scene changes, just simple fun.
Tags: children, craft, history, postcard: Vietnam, recreation, tradition
rayres
Thanks for sharing such pretty pictures.
I love reading about your travels.
That’s amazing! Thanks Tgirl4 for sharing 🙂