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EveryParampara

Wayang

Shadow puppet theatre of Java and Bali, telling epic stories through the night.

A pattern drawn for this page, not a picture of Wayang.

Also: wayang kulit, shadow puppetry

Wayang kulit is a performance in which a puppeteer, the dalang, moves flat leather puppets before a lit white screen and gives voice to every character, accompanied by a gamelan. The stories come from the Ramayana and Mahabharata and from local tales, and a full performance can last all night. Audiences may sit on either side of the screen, viewing the puppet or its shadow. Wayang is used for weddings, births and village cleansing rites, and the dalang is both an entertainer and a spiritual teacher. UNESCO lists it as a masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage.

Region: Southeast Asia

See also

GamelanBatik

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