Water Puppetry: A unique Vietnamese tradition

I’m a huge enthusiast of the amount of art used in these shows since I saw one, the amount of creativity gone into making a show is just impressive the puppets are too entertaining to watch and provide a brief story with a lot of laughs and some time ago I came across Water Puppetry and I would like to share this underrated form of art with you guys today. Unlike shadow puppetry, the puppet shows held throughout Vietnam take place over a waist-deep pool of water. It’s away from the modern world puppets move jerkily along the water's surface, their puppet-masters hidden from view behind a screen and the murky water. Musicians on either side of the pool provide music with traditional instruments. The wooden puppets used in water puppet shows are handmade and can weigh up to 13.6 Kgs! The stage and puppets are awash in vivid colors, foggy mist, and other elements. The secret of how these artworks have been kept quiet for centuries. The puppeteers even have their own code words to prevent someone from overhearing talk of a particular technique. I have heard a lot about the methods but sadly they won’t tell us and just say it's magic and yes it really seems like magic is happening in front of your eyes.

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