Water Puppetry

Splash. Swish. Can you hear the water moving. I love to dance on top of the shimmering water. Happy music from drums and flutes plays all around. Look at me go. I am a colorful wooden fish, and there is my friend, a big, friendly dragon. We swim and spin and play, but no one can see who moves us. It’s a secret. We are the Water Puppets of Vietnam. We love to put on a show for you.

A very, very long time ago, around the 11th century, some clever rice farmers in a country called Vietnam had a wonderful idea. Their fields, called rice paddies, were full of water for growing rice. After a long day of work, they wanted to have fun and tell stories. So, they carved little people and animals like me from special wood. They used long, hidden poles under the water to make us swim and dance. We were their special way to sing and celebrate together. They made us glide across the water like magic.

We tell all kinds of happy stories. We tell stories about brave heroes and funny, splashing fish. We tell stories about friendly dragons who play in the water. The best part is the secret. The puppeteers who move us are hidden behind a screen, so it looks like we are really alive, dancing all by ourselves. For hundreds and hundreds of years, we have shared our watery tales. We still love to make children giggle and dream, showing everyone how a little water and a big imagination can create so much magic.