Asian Festivals: China, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand
Asian Festivals: China, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand
Asian Festivals: China, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand
Kodo troupe
Include pieces based on the
traditional rhythms of regional Japan,
pieces composed for Kodo by
contemporary songwriters, and pieces
written by Kodo members
themselves.
Performances normally last for about
one hour and forty minutes.
History
Drums were used in ancient times to signify the
boundaries of a village. Peasant events such as rice
harvests or dance festivals were celebrated with
drums.
Drumswere used to pray for rain and other religious
ceremonies.
Drums lead warriors into battles in order to scare the
enemy.
Costumes and Props
Happi – coats over black with white calligraphy. A
baggy-sleeved short cotton jacket, tied with a sash
(obi) around the waist. It is usually a plain color,
typically blue or black, with a symbol printed on the
lapels and on the back.
Hachimaki – white headband
Tabi – shoes with big toe separated
Odaiko (big drum); Jozuke (medium); Chime
(small)
Happi
Balinese Dance
Festival of
Indonesia
Balinese dances are a
very ancient dance
tradition that is a part of
the religious and
artistic expression
among the Balinese
people.
General Description
The creative and reproductive balance is
often personified as Shiva’s wife, Durga,
sometimes called Uma, Parvati, or Kali.
This has significance in Balinese
Hinduism, since the common figure of
Rangda is similar in many ways to
Durga.
Shiva and Durga
Variations
In Bali there are various categories of
dance, including epic performances such
as the universal Mahabharata and
Ramayana. Certain ceremonies at village
temples features a special performance of
a dance-drama, a battle between the
mythical characters Rangda, the witch
representing the evil and Barong, the lion
or dragon, representing good.
Variations
♫ Among the dance traditions in Bali,
these terms deserve special mention:
♫ Barong, the Lion; Legong, a refined
dance form characterized by
intricate finger movements,
complicated foot work, and
expressive gestures and facial
expressions; and
Barong
Training of Bali Dance
♫ Balidancers learn the craft
from their mothers as soon as
they are born. In the womb,
they are played the Balinese
music and are taught to dance
with their hands before they
can walk.
Training of Bali Dance
♫ Official
training as a Bali
dancers starts as young as
seven. In Balinese dance the
movement is closely
associated with the rhythms
produced by the gamelan.
Movements
♫ Multiplelevels of articulations in the
face, eyes, hands, arms, hips, and
feet are coordinated to reflect layers
of percussive sounds.
♫ The number of codified hand
positions and gestures, the mudras,
is higher in India than in Java or
Bali.
Costumes of Balinese Dancers
Most Female dancers wear:
♫ Various colors of makeup
♫a crown
♫ both real and golden flowers in their hair
♫ Sarong and wrap a long sash from their hips to
their breasts as well as many gold decorations
♫ Crown and decorations are made from
cowhide
Costumes of Balinese Dancers
Most Male dancers wear:
♫ makeup (use more red color for their eyes and
cheeks and their eyebrows are colored to
enhanced masculinity)
♫a mask when they dance the topeng dance
♫a crown
♫a cloak or many pieces of these clothes around
their body
Lantern Festivals
of Thailand
Sky Lantern Festival (Yi Peng) Festival
This event is about the launching of lanterns
which are actually small hot air balloons.
Each release of a sky lantern is a petition, small
prayer, or good wishes of the person who
released the lantern.
This event is held on the full moon of the 12th
month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the
western calendar this usually falls in November.
The Chiang Mai area has been the scene of
mass sky lantern release. Some of the meaning
of releasing the sky lanterns are:
it sends a person’s bad luck and misfortune away
into the air, especially if it disappears from view
before the fire goes out.
people say a short prayer before launching the
lantern. Sometimes they will also write their
address in the lantern. Anyone who later finds the
lantern can then claim money from the sender. In
this way, the good fortune is shared.
It is considered good luck. Many Thai’s
believe these sky lanterns are symbols
of problems and worries floating away.
It can act as veneration to Pra Ged
Kaew Ju La Mannee (The crystal Chedi
in heaven in which Buddha’s hair is
kept.)
Loy Krathong
Festival
Loy or Loi Krathong Festival
This takes place on the
evening of the full moon of the
12th month in the traditional
Thai lunar calendar. In
western calendar this usually
falls in November.
Loy / Loi literally means “to float.”
while Krathong refers to the “lotus-
shaped receptacle” which can float on
water. Originally, the Krathong was
made of banana leaves or the layers
of the trunk of a banana tree or a
spider lily plant.
The festival is believed to originate in an
ancient practice of paying respect to the spirit
of waters. A krathong will be decorated with
elaborately-folded banana leaves, flowers,
candles, and incense sticks. A low value coin
is sometimes included as an offering to the
river spirits. During the night of the full moon,
Thais will float their krathong on a river,
canal, or on a pond lake.
The tradition is said to have
begun in the 13 century
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