Wayang kulit is shadow puppet theater, performed with flat, intricately cut and painted leather puppets against a screen lit by a flickering oil lamp. In Bali it is both an art and a religious act, staged at temple festivals and family ceremonies. Indonesian wayang was recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003.
Most stories come from the great Hindu epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and carry moral and spiritual teachings. The puppeteer, called the dalang, is the heart of the performance, voicing every character, singing, directing the music and handling the puppets for hours. Many Balinese dalang are also ordained as priests and can make holy water. Some performances, called wayang lemah, are held by day without a screen, purely for the gods.
A night performance is absorbing. A small gender wayang ensemble plays shimmering metallophones as the dalang brings heroes, gods, demons and clowns to life, switching between ancient Kawi for noble characters and everyday Balinese for the jokes. Children sit close to the screen, while adults drift in and out. In the village of Sukawati, families still carve puppets, and some dalang trace their line back many generations.
Highlights
- Night shows lit by an oil lamp
- Dalang voicing every character
- Gender wayang music
- Puppet-making in Sukawati
Good to know
- Sit on the dalang's side of the screen too, to watch him work the puppets and music.
- Visit Sukawati, south of Ubud, to see wayang puppets being carved by hand.
Bali: Culture, Religion & Traditions
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