Lively Ban Thach water puppetry
One winter morning in Ban Thach village, in the thin layer of mist lingering on the pond surface, the Nam Chan water puppetry troupe's pavilion appears with its moss-covered tiled roof, witness to the glorious years of water puppetry.
Next to the time-stained communal house roof, the sound of hammering still resounds regularly from the small houses, blending with the chatter of the old men and women, creating a peaceful scene of the Northern countryside.
In the village communal house, the villagers have reserved a small room to preserve the ancient puppets that have accompanied the artisans everywhere to perform. Cherishing the puppet of Uncle Teu made of bamboo, which is considered the oldest puppet in the village, artisan Phan Van Khue said that the villagers do not know exactly when water puppets were invented, but people say that they were created about 800 years ago.
Mr. Khue said that the village was formerly the Nam Chan region, which had a traditional craft of carving statues and lacquerware. Therefore, during the labor process, the villagers created puppets such as the Teu, the fairy, the dragon, the unicorn, the turtle, the phoenix… the soul of the water puppet show.
The puppets are handmade by the villagers themselves in a very elaborate process, requiring the dexterity, creativity and experience of each person. In the past, the elders often chose fig and jackfruit wood to make puppets. These types of wood are light, float easily and are quite durable in conditions of frequent contact with water.
After many processes of shaping, carving, and painting, the puppets are created with their own nuances and emotional ranges. To make the puppets easy to control, the villagers skillfully create swivel joints, springs, and moving shafts to make the puppets come to life.
From lively, soulful puppets combined with folk melodies, ancient people created plays recreating historical stories and daily activities, creating joyful plays on the water.
Plays such as "Le Loi's Uprising", "Tran Hung Dao Binh Nguyen", "Trung Trac - Trung Nhi", "Fox Catching Duck", "Fishing", "Buffalo Fighting"... are performances that people look forward to. The sound of drums, strings, flutes, and splashing water create a bustling atmosphere, full of rural character.
During spring festivals or village festivals, the puppet troupe is always the center of attraction for large audiences, becoming a cultural feature connecting generations. Because of that, the puppet troupe is not only famous in the region but also known in many places, and invited to perform for people to see.
Mr. Khue confided that the 1980s was the golden age of water puppetry. He and his troupe traveled to the South and North to perform for people from all over the country. The plays and puppets were also created by villagers in a more diverse and rich way. Ban Thach water puppetry was not only for "fun" but also to educate morality, convey work experience and reflect the farmers' dream of a prosperous life.
So that the puppet show is not forgotten
Through the ups and downs of history and social changes, there was a time when puppets lay still in dark rooms, covered in the dust of time. Like many other traditional folk art forms, Ban Thach water puppetry faced many difficulties. The elderly, the village's living archives, passed away, causing the ancient plays to gradually disappear. The young generation left their hometowns to make a living, and few of the remaining people in the village were interested in puppetry.
The emergence of more and more different forms of entertainment has gradually narrowed the position of water puppetry in modern life. However, in Ban Thach, there are still many people who are passionate about their ancestors' traditions, persistently preserving and making puppetry "live" in modern life with many different forms.
Although over 60 years old, artist Phan Van Manh's hands and eyes are still very flexible and sharp. Whenever a unit invites him to perform, he and the artists in the Song Que water puppet troupe are busy preparing, bringing their mobile water puppetry to the requested location.
Mr. Manh said that the brothers in the puppet troupe, normally each person has a job, struggling to make a living, but when there is an invitation to perform, everyone gathers to bring water pavilions, puppets, and sounds to serve the needs of people throughout the South and North.
In the past, people came to the water pavilion to watch water puppets. Now, he brings water puppets and water pavilions to wherever there are puppet lovers. The invitations to perform are sometimes quick and sometimes sparse. In the first months of spring, there are many invitations to perform, but there are also times when he doesn't receive any invitations for the entire month.
However, at each performance, witnessing the excitement of students as well as visitors, he understands that water puppetry still has appeal and that is also the motivation for his troupe to continue performing.
In Rach village, in addition to the fixed water pavilion at the village pond, the village currently has 4 mobile water pavilions, mini water pavilions built by puppet troupes and by the people themselves with the desire to preserve and remind their descendants of traditional cultural values. At the same time, they are ready to serve tourists from all over the world, those interested in learning and researching about puppetry.
The villagers do not forget to teach their children the techniques of making and controlling puppets. Therefore, the young generation in the village, although not directly performing, can still control the puppets in each play.
Mr. Phan Van Trien's Anh Duong Puppet Theater is a creative model that combines economic development from puppet production and tourism to promote the traditional art image of the locality.
Mr. Trien said that since he was a child, he learned puppetry and puppet making. Attached to, loving and appreciating traditional art, he opened a puppet making workshop that annually supplies the market with thousands of puppets of all different sizes and shapes.
In recent years, Ban Thach village has become a popular tourist destination. Understanding the development and needs of society, the puppets he creates are not only for performances but also become unique souvenirs imbued with the soul of the Vietnamese countryside, which are happily received by tourists.
At home, he designed and built a miniature water pavilion ready to perform when visitors come to visit. From this model, his workshop welcomes about 10 groups of visitors each month. Because of this, many units contact to order puppets as gifts, helping his workshop have more jobs and revenue.
From the traveling performances of village puppet troupes to the colorful souvenir puppets that follow tourists everywhere, the cultural beauty of the locality and ethnic group is increasingly widely promoted, attracting the community's attention to the work of preserving and promoting this unique art.
In order to preserve the art of water puppetry, in 2023, the locality invested in rebuilding the Nam Chan Water Puppetry Hall with a budget of 200 million VND. This is not only a place for activities and performances but also a cultural highlight, contributing to creating an attractive experience space for tourists when coming to Ban Thach village.
Bringing water puppetry into tourism activities opens up a new direction of development, both creating more livelihoods for people and being a driving force to preserve and promote the nation's long-standing cultural values.
According to VNASource: https://baohaiphong.vn/giu-nghe-thuat-mua-roi-nuoc-giua-nhip-song-hien-dai-528986.html
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