Vietnam attends International Children’s Festival in Croatia
VOV.VN - An art troupe representing the Vietnam Puppet Theatre has participated in the 63rd International Children’s Festival held in Šibenik of Croatia as part of efforts to promote the image of Vietnamese people and landscapes among the global community.
Vietnamese water puppet shows are held on June 30 and July 1, with the event featuring the daily life of farmers and common aspects of Vietnamese spiritual life.
A total of 11 artists from the Vietnam Puppet Theatre are expected to introduce local folk art to the world, with this helping international friends to gain greater understanding of traditional Vietnamese culture.
Water puppetry represents a tradition that dates back as far as the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam.
The puppets are made out of wood and then lacquered, whilst the shows are performed in a waist-deep pool. A large bamboo rod supports the puppet under the water and is used by the puppeteers, who are normally hidden behind a screen, to control them. This creates the effect of puppets appearing to be moving over the water. This comes from the tradition of when rice fields would flood, villagers would come together to entertain each other by using this form of puppeteering.
The International Children’s Festival was first held back in 1958, with the event drawing the participation of children from different parts of the world. During the festival held in June, all of the squares and streets are extremely lively.
The festival this year takes place from June 24 to July 8 in Croatia, with the occasion encouraging many ideas in various forms of art for children's creativity, including drama, puppetry, music-scenes, film, literary, and visual arts.