There is a specialized form of performing arts that is a bit of a dying breed in Thailand: the nang yai (หนังใหญ่) shadow puppet plays. A friend had told me about stuff he had read about this art form and we briefly talked about trying to go to a performance before he left, but it never materialized. However, as I’ve tried to soak up as much of the cultural as I can this year, I made a trip to Wat Khanon in Ratchaburi, one of the few places that has performances this last weekend.
The Shadow Puppets
Nang in Thai means “skin” and yaai means “big.”
The literal translation of the name for these puppets is pretty apt: most puppets weigh three to four kilograms (6.6-8.8 pounds) with the larger ones weighing in at five to seven kilograms (11-15.4 pounds), and many of them are around a meter (3 feet) in size.
They are typically made from tanned cow or water buffalo hides and mounted onto bamboo poles for the players to hold up around a scrim, a white cloth held up by bamboo poles, as a fire or light shines from behind to cast the puppets shadows.
The Plays and Stories Performed
The stories told by the nang yai should now be familiar to consistent blog readers: the Ramakien, which are also the stories told by another tradition of Thai theater arts, the khon. These are stories that are based on the Hindu mythology and have been adapted to the local Thai traditions.
It is suggested that this tradition of performing arts has roots in the Malaysian and Indonesian traditions of Wayang Kulit, and that the performance style made its way up the peninsula and, as things go, became a part of the Thai cultural consciousness. It has been suggested that these performances date back to the Sukhothai era, but hard evidence shows that such performances only certainly took place during the Ayutthaya period.
Preserving the Nang Yaai Heritage at Wat Khanon
The number of places that host these performance though has been declining, as interest fades into more popular and Western styles of and forms of entertainment. Some research showed the the UNESCO award winning temple, Wat Khanon, still hosts weekly performances, on Saturdays from 10-11 and maintains a museum dedicated to the art form, and so I made plans to go and check it out this last weekend.
The performance itself was very short, around 30 minutes, but was clearly very involved and physical. There were aspects of dance involved with choreographed fight scenes and the puppets were sometimes passed off between performers.
Additionally, there is a small museum at the wat, displaying some of the older puppets. In 1989, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn became a royal patron of the wat in an effort to help preserve the art form. As part of her patronage, she decreed that the existing 313 puppets be preserved and more durable replacements made.
It seems there is little in the way of public transportation out this way, but if you are able to arrange transportation, I would highly recommend a visit.
