WAYANG, TO THE SPIRITUAL SPIRIT OF THE GOD

Wayang (leather puppet) one of the culture of Indonesia is the traditional art of Javanese society, this traditional art has grown since the 15th century, until now there are still many fans, although only from certain circles. The puppets are made of animal skin, mostly female oxen because they are bigger and softer.

shadow puppet (wayang)s is an art that displays drama through the shadow of a leather puppet (wayang) on ​​a piece of cloth (the color) with the spotlight of the light show (blencong) played by a person called Dalang and accompanied by traditional music gamelan by presenting classical stories such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana stories. Which is thick with Hindu-Indian culture adapted to Javanese culture.

In the art of wayang (leather puppet) there are two important entities namely the figure Dalang and Lakon (figures played). The puppeteer as an actor who plays the puppet (wayang) by directing the audience to a story he wants to address. A great puppeteer, not only capable of telling and playing puppets, but also able to direct the flow of doctrinization to the audience. So the performance of wayang kulit is not only limited to people's entertainment.

While the play is a character in the story that played in an appearance. This play is strongly influenced by elements of local classical culture and outside culture. The local culture-influenced play is based on ancestral stories and the creations of predecessor Dalang, such as Gareng, Semar, Bagong and Petrok. While the play that comes from the outside culture as told in the story of Ramayana and Mahabharata with the play Ravana, Rama, until Pandawa Lima and so on.

While the variant of the doll that is played depends on the ceremony or deployment performed. Because the ancestors of the Indonesian people were animists and dynamists, who believed that every object has power and spirit, so that puppets are manifested in the form of statues and images. Which in every form of puppets has the power generated on the shape of the face and the size of the puppet.

The history of wayang development in Indonesia,

1. Pre-history Basically puppet show is the remnants of ancient Javanese religious ceremonies which at that time still embraces animism. At that time, the forerunners of the Javanese community had made a worship tool in the form of a sculpture for the calling media of spirits or ancestral spirits called Hyang, Hyang was believed to be giving protection as well as protection to them, but sometimes punishing and harming them, in a ceremony considered sacred they call the ability of the magic person as an intermediary, other than that time and a special place for the smoothness of the worship event.

2. The period of Hidu-Budha

re-emerged Tradition of wayang creation from prehistoric culture in the manifestation of wayang batu (puppet of stone)on the sculpture of temple reliefs and sculpture in this era. Puppet at this time is the result of collaboration between the ancestor view of the worship of the spirit with Hindu worship to the gods that exist in Hindu religion. Along with the pre-historical changes to the Hindu-Buddhist era of the story at the puppet show that used to tell the figures of the ancestors, the legend of tribal chiefs or ancestors was drowned in the changing times and changed the story of Hindu gods originating from India namely the story of the Ramayana and Mahabharta.

3. The period of Islam

The fundamental changes and developments of wayang took place during the Islamic period. In some forms we can see as it is today, the masterpieces of the saints in perfecting the shape of the face which formerly featured the front face turned to appear from the side, the color that was once only black (made of soot) and white (burnt bone powder), dikenbangkan be diverse color, hand puppets that once merged with his body made arm or hand joints joints to be moved and also add a variety of puppets.

4. Colonial Period

In the colonial period, wayang still developed as a performing arts, especially when the government of Mataram II under the leadership of king Amangkurat II (1680) moved his capital from Plaret to Kartasuara. At the same time the forms of wayang began to be perfected like using the accompaniment of gamelan and Tembang rhythms performed by siden and noyaga. But at this time the wayang that used to function as a religious ceremony has been transformed into a traditional classical art form and only a few small parts of society that occasionally still perform for religious events.

5. The post-independence period

No development of wayang forms or creation of new puppets during the Japanese colonial period (1942-1945). However, the emergence of new forms of puppets creations including the type of story and the purpose of his performances occurred after the independence of Indonesia. In this period, wayang performances are also a form of art, no longer as a ritual or religious acrata. In this case the puppet becomes the total theater art of a Dalang when he narrates the play. At this time the function of wayang not only as a mere entertainment, but also as a means of education and mass communication, satra education, art education, religion and philosophy. One type of puppet (wayang) that emerged at this time is the puppet (wayang) suluah Pancasila which was created in 1947 in Madiun which tells about the political conditions at the time. Each region has its own style and technique in a puppet (wayang) show. Thus wayang Indonesia is made by indigenous Indonesian people who have a story, style and puppeteer extraordinary, able to play puppet show with very good.

Tourists from abroad are learning to play Gamelan which is one of the musical instruments during the performance as we have discussed above, wayang has passed through various periods from pre-historic to post-independence period. Puppet is not only liked by the local community, but also many foreign tourists from overseas even not only watching the show but they also learn how to play the puppets.

If you are curious and want to witness a puppet show, datanng directly to Indonesia, the country of a thousand cultures.

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