Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe Educational System (AVBLES)

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN MOUNTAIN PROVINCE (CSMP)

ARTS 8
QUARTER 4:
FESTIVALS AND THEATRICAL
FORMS OF ASIA
ENHANCED CONTENT STANDARDS:
The learner demonstrates understanding of how theatrical elements affect in the creation and
communication of meaning in Asian Festivals and theatrical forms as influenced by history and
culture

ENHANCED PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:

Create a mask design applying the characteristics of the Peking Opera characters

ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES:

ELC 1: Analyze the characteristics and unique elements of the different Asian Festivals
ELC 2: Create a graphic organizer showing the unique characteristics of Asian Theater forms
ELC 3: Create a mask design applying the characteristics of the Peking Opera characters

LESSON 1: FESTIVALS IN ASIA

LESSON 2: ASIAN THEATER FORMS

Prepared by: April Gene M. Caligtan

BCSI

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LESSON 1: FESTIVALS IN ASIA

A. CHINESE NEW YEAR

The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival as it has been called since the twentieth century,
remains the most important social and economic holiday in China. Its history dates back centuries ago
and gained its significance because of several beliefs and traditions.
Commonly, the Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant
Chinese populations such as Mainland China Hongkong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Mauritius, Thailand, Vietnam, and even the Philippines. Nowadays, the Chinese New Year is
also celebrated in most cities around the world.
CHINESE NEW YEAR’S ARTISTIC SYMBOLS AND TRADITIONS
The presence of art elements especially colors and forms has a big impact in catching the
attention or interest of the people during Chinese festivities as well as in representing their cultural
symbols.
1. The welcoming of the Gods of Wealth and Prosperity
On the 5th day of the New Year, the Chinese believe that the gods of prosperity will come
down from the heavens. That is why most businessmen often participate in setting off
firecrackers as they believe it brings good fortune and wealth for businesses.
2. The Festival Lanterns
The 15th day of the New Year is known as the Festival of the Lanterns and marks the end of
the New Year celebrations. Different kinds of lanterns are lit throughout the streets and often
poems and riddles are written for entertainment.

3. The Red Envelopes

Called the hong bao in Mandarin and ang pao in Hokkien, the red envelopes are filled with
money. These are commonly given to children or unmarried adults with no jobs yet. If you are
single and working and earning money, you still have to give the younger one Hong Bao
money.
In Chinese culture, the color red signifies good luck, abundance, and happiness.
4. The Dragon
It is always present in many Chinese cultural celebrations as the Chinese people often think
of themselves as descendants of the mythical creature. On the 5th day of the New Year, when
many people have to start going back to their work, they also have the Dancing Dragons
perform in front of the office building.
Dragon represents prosperity, good fortune, and luck.
5. The Clothing
The girls are usually dressed in red or bright-red colored cheongsam. It was believed that he
was a color of good luck and could scare away evil spirits and bad fortune.
6. The Family Picture
The taking of a family portrait is an important ceremony after the relatives are gathered. The
photo is usually taken in the hall or front of the house. The most senior head of the family sits
at the center.

7. The Symbolical Color and Shape

The red diamond shapes are symbols for the arrival of luck, prosperity, blessings, and
happiness. These are displayed on the entrances of Chinese Homes. This is commonly seen
hanging upside down.
8. The Nian Hua
It is a form of Chinese-colored woodblock printing for decoration during Chinese New Year.
Its original form was a picture of a door god. Customarily, as each Chinese New Year arrives,
every family replaces its picture to “say goodbye to the past and welcome the future”.
9. The Food
The Chinese believe that the most important dinner of the year is the Chinese New Year’s
Eve Meal. The Chinese always have sticky glutinous rice called nian gao as a symbol of family
unity.

B. THAI LANTERN FESTIVAL

In Thailand, the festival of lights is celebrated around the country with Loi Krathong (a lotus-
shaped receptacle) that is released on the water to bring back luck and fulfill wishes.
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.
During the festival, the people create lanterns of white color and place a candle in the center.
These lanterns are usually large. They have to be held in the air till the hot air generated by the burning
candle, engulfs the inside of the lantern. This readies the lantern to be released so that it can fly up and

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away. The sky looks ablaze from below making it the perfect photography moment. The Chiang Mai area
has been the scene of mass sky lantern release.
Here are some samples of different meanings of releasing Sky Lanterns:
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 to release a sky lantern, and many Thais believe they are symbols of
problems and worries floating away.
It is an act of veneration to Pra Ged Kaew Ju La Mannee (the crystal Chedi in heaven in which the
Buddha’s hair is kept) by sending air-ballooned lanterns into the high sky.

C. LOI KRATHONG FESTIVAL

‘Loy/Loi’ literally means 'to float,' while ‘krathong’ refers to the lotus-shaped receptacle that can
float on the water. Originally, the krathong was made of banana leaves or the layers of the trunk of a
banana tree or a spider lily plant. 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 pond lake.

A powerful union of water and lights makes this festival a momentous time for every gazer. The
Thais honor Phra Mae Kongka, the goddess of water and pay respect to the Buddha. The construction
of colorful boats was a way of not only giving thanks for the abundance of water but also a way to seek
forgiveness for overuse and pollution.
Today, Loy Krathong is a way for people to make a wish and look toward the future. They believe
that in the process of floating away the basket, one can release all the negative emotions, and free oneself
from all anxieties. The celebration of lights and water is diluted with zealous emotions, especially of the
participating lot. The tradition is said to have begun in the 13th century when a young queen made a
small boat adorned with candles and sent it down the river.

D. JAPANESE TODO KAIDO DRUM FESTIVAL

Kodo is a good example of a professional taiko drumming troupe. They are based in Sado Island,
Japan, and they had a big role in popularizing taiko drumming, both in Japan and abroad. ‘Kodo’ conveys
it in two meanings: First, ‘Heartbeat’ is the primal source of all rhythm, and read it differently. Second,
‘Children of the drum’, is a reflection of Kodo's desire to play their drums simply, with the heart of a child.

TAIKO DRUM PERFORMER’S CLOTHING

1. Happi Coat- this is a traditional Japanese straight-
sleeved coat usually made from indigo or brown cotton
and imprinted with a distinctive mon (crest).
2. Muneate- this is an apron-like attire; also called
haragake
3. Matahaki- this is worn as pants
4. Tabi- this is a sock-looking footwear
5. Khayan- this is an ankle belt to secure the tabi
6. Tekkau- this is a wristband
7. Hachimaki- this is a helmet scarf worn as a symbol of
perseverance, effort, and courage; headbands
8. Obi- this a belt worn around the happi coat
9. Omen- This a mask put on the face to play the role of
someone and God folk performing arts.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT:
Identify the festival based on the images provided.

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LESSON 2: ASIAN THEATER FORMS

A. PEKING OPERA AND KABUKI THEATRICAL ART FORMS

ART OF PEKING OPERA
Peking Opera/Beijing Opera is known as China’s Traditional theater art form which combines
music, vocal performance, pantomime, dance, and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and
became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. The form was extremely popular in the
court and has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China.

FOUR MAIN CHARACTER ROLES IN PEKING OPERA:

1. Sheng is the main male lead role.
Xiaosheng- The actor is commonly involved with beautiful women. He has the
virtual image of being handsome and young. He sings in a high, shrill voice.
Wusheng- The combative character with great skills in Martial Arts. He is trained
to do acrobatics and has a natural voice in singing.
Laosheng- The dignified older role. He has a gentle and cultivated disposition in
life. He wears sensible costumes.
2. Tan or Dan is the female character.
Huadan- the vivacious and
unmarried woman
Laodan- The old woman
Wudan- The martial woman
Qingyi- the virtuous elite
woman
Daomadan- the female warrior
Guimendan- the young married
Huadan Laodan
girl or woman

Wudan
Qingyi Daomadan Guimendan
3. Ching or Jing
Plays the primary and secondary
roles; it entails a forceful character
to play this kind of character. One
must possess a strong voice to be
able to exaggerate the gestures.
His face is red as a symbol of
loyalty and goodness; white
signifies evil and black connotes
integrity.

4. Chou - Plays the jester or clown role; he

usually takes the secondary role whose
name also means “ugly”. It connotes the
clown’s combination of ugliness and
laughter which can drive away evil
spirits.

PEKING OPERA COSTUMES

1. Mang- This is a court robe worn only by imperial family members, prime
ministers, or generals.
Description: Plain black muslin hat- This is square in shape and with two
wings; indicates an influential ruler.
Thick black beard- This is made of yak feather and is typical for jing
roles, who are often military leaders. The black color suggests that the
character is middle-aged. A grey or white beard would belong to an
older jing.
Jade belts- These are used to indicate the status of nobles and high
officials, both for female and male characters.
Red Color- This indicates nobility. The Mang decorated with “water-
spitting dragon” patterns indicate a thirst for conquest. Traditionally, only the
emperor would be allowed to have his robe decorated with dragons.

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 2. Pei- This is worn as casual clothing by imperial members or upper-
class persons.
Description: Seven-star diadem- This consists of 3 rows of 7 pom-poms
each. A pair of long feathers is set on the diadem. During the battle, the
feathers shake and wave, giving the character an aura of majesty.
Decorative Cape- This is a “cloud shawl” in Chinese, worn around
the neck and supported by the shoulders.
Firm Armor- This is usually adorned with flags; indicating that the
character is fully armed and ready for the battle. This can be worn by both
male and female characters.

3. Kao- this is a kind of armor, worn by warriors.

Description: Datou- This is the most common qingyi hairstyle with a bun.
Pink Color and Peony Patterns- Typical for young Dan characters.
The hairstyle requires many steps to be completed:
1. The cloth strips are used to stretch the skin of the forehead.
2. Then hairs are attached: some curls at the top of the forehead, and other
tufts on the sides of the head and along the cheeks.
3. hair pins are then inserted. A wig and padding are slipped on and tied
into a bun of the head.
4. additional hair ornaments, jewelry, and flowers are fixed.

4. Zhezi- this is worn as casual clothes by the middle class and ordinary
persons.
Description: Duck-tail Cloth Hat- This is worn by common people in ancient China.
High and narrow in shape, this bends slightly forward; this has tassels on top
representing a duck tail collar with two patterned stripes.
Light-blue zhezi- Lilac gown is often worn by scholars who are from poor
families or who have failed many times in imperial examinations.
Good fortune shoes with embroidered character Shou-
this is usually worn by elderly commoners (laodan or laosheng), also by the
wenxiaosheng. Everything else goes under the umbrella term yi, or “clothes.”

B. JAPANESE KABUKI
Kabuki is a form of traditional Japanese drama with highly stylized song, mime, and dance and
performed only by male actors. Japanese originally used this as a verb meaning ‘act dissolutely’, later
interpreting the word as ‘Ka’ for the song, ‘bu’ for dance, and ‘Ki’ for art/skill. Sometimes kabuki is
translated as “the art of singing and dancing.”
Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and the elaborate makeup worn by some
of its performers. Years of training are required to become a performer: dances and movements are
complex and fascinating; emotions are conveyed through music, masks, and costumes; and operating a
puppet requires a great deal of skill. Assisting in a Japanese play is an experience that stimulates all
senses.

FEATURES OF A KABUKI PERFORMANCE

As indicated, Kabuki performances are extremely dynamic: trapdoors allow sudden changes of
scene, making actors disappear; while a live orchestra plays, accompanying the action with traditional
instruments. Plots revolve around historical events, love, conspiracy, moral conflicts, etc. What you
need to remember is that what is being shown is just a part of the entire story.

ELEMENTS OF KABUKI
1. STAGE DESIGN
A. HANAMICHI (literally, flower pot) - a walkway that extends
into the audience and where dramatic entrances and exits
are made. It is also used for important scenes.
B. MAWARI-BUTAI (revolving stage)- developed in the
Kyoho Era. The trick was originally accomplished by the
on-stage pushing of a round, wheeled platform.
C. SERI- refers to the stage “traps” that have been commonly
employed in kabuki since the middle 18th century. These
traps raise and lower actors or set to the stage. Seridashi
or seriage refers to traps moving upward and serisage or
serioroshi to traps descendeing. This technique is often
used to lift an entire scene at once.
D. CHUNORI (riding in mid-air)- is a technique, that appeared
toward the middle of the 19th century, by which an actor’s

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 costume is attached to wires and he is made to fly over the stage and/or certain parts of the
auditorium.
E. SCENERY CHANGES- are sometimes made mid-scene while the actors remain on stage and the
curtain stays open. This is sometimes accomplished by using Hiki Dogu, or SMALL WAGON
STAGE. This technique originated at the beginning of the 18 th century when scenery or actors
moved on or off stage on a wheeled platform.
2. PERFORMANCE
A. JIDAIMONO or History plays, were set within the context of major events in Japanese history.
This usually focused on the samurai class.
B. SEWAMONO focused primarily on commoners namely townspeople and peasants. Sewamono
generally related to themes of family drama and romance.
C. KESHO- kabuki makeup, provides an
element of style easily recognizable even by
those unfamiliar with the art form. The white
powder is used to create the oshishori base for
the characteristic stage makeup, and kumadori
enhances or exaggerates facial lines to produce
dramatic animal or supernatural masks.
Kumadori is an expression of the character’s
nature:
red lines are used to indicate passion, heroism,
righteousness, and other positive traits;
blue or black, jealousy, and other negative traits;
green, the supernatural; and
purple, nobility.

3. PLAY STRUCTURE
Kabuki, like the other traditional forms of drama in Japan and other cultures, was (and sometimes
still is) performed in full-day programs. Rather than attending for 2-5 hours, as one might do in a
modern Western-style theater, audiences escape from the day-to-day world, devoting a full day to
entertainment.

C. THE NANG YAI

NANG YAI OF THAILAND

Shadow puppet (Thai: Nang) was one form

of public entertainment in the south of
Thailand. It is very popular at village festivals,
temple fairs, and celebrations such as
marriages. Its characters are made from
intricately cut-out and articulated shapes of
leather. They are delicately colored, but this
does not show during a performance as the
puppets appear only in shadow against a
white sheet, with light shining through from
behind. They are manipulated with rods that
control the movements of the arms and legs.
The puppets are colorful but they do not have
to be because you only see the black
shadows.

Performance
The puppet shows have a religious theme or have an episode from the Ramayana epic which
contains dozens of individual stories. They may also be specially written to include up-to-the-minute
reflections, songs, and poems about local events and matters of current interest in the district or country.
There are hundreds of different characters, each of distinctive shadow, but the show will almost always
include a clown, funny old man, scatter-brained old woman, or rather stupid yokel, who are all great
favorites with the fun-loving audiences.

D. WAYANG KULIT OF INDONESIA

This ancient Indonesian art of shadow play or Wayang Kulit is a unique combination of ritual,
lesson, and entertainment. The lacy shadow figures are projected on a taught line screen with a coconut
oil lamp or electric light. The dalang or shadow artist manipulated carved leather figures between the
lamp and the screen to bring the shadows to life.
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 The dalang should represent the characters by way of the form figures, their decorations, and the
gestures they are displaying. These conditions are the same that followed when creating the wayang kulit
figures. As the characters are being developed, they are infused with symbolism that is supposed to
project who they are, both by appearance and their character as an individual.
For example, Krishna Puppets are designed with his figure looking straight forward as a symbol
of bravery.

Wayang Kulit Characters

1. SEMAR is a character in Javanese mythology who commonly

appears in wayang shadow plays. He is one of the punokawan (clowns)
but is divine and very wise. He is always portrayed as short and flat with
a pug nose (short and flat).
2. GARENG is often regarded as the elder son of
Semar. He is a deformed dwarf with crooked and Petruk
disjointed arms and has yaw sores on his feet. He
specializes in puns and sly insinuations.
Semar Gareng

3. PETRUK is the 2nd son of Semar; easily recognized by his tall and scrawny build.
He has a large, predatory mouth and a long nose. He provides constant laughter
with his practical jokes and comic horseplay.
4. BAGONG is the youngest son of Semar. He is a very fat man with a big belly and
enormous buttocks. Acting like a child, he makes people laugh by the way he talks.
The wayang kulit puppets come in various shapes, and sizes from the square-like cruel
forms of the giants to the smaller limbed figures representing highly cultured kings and
nobles. Some have grotesque-like figures.
Every part of the puppet design has its symbolic significance. Different-shaped eyes and
noses denote nobility, patience, crudeness, steadfastness, strength, loyalty, clownishness,
or wisdom. There are about 25 varieties of headdresses to represent priests, princesses,
Bagong
fighters, queens, deities, kings, or gods.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT 2:
Identify the following theater forms based on the given description.
1. It is performed by the dalang, who manipulates the puppets
2. It is a very popular puppet show performed at village festivals, temple fairs, and celebrations
such as marriages in Thailand.
3. China’s Traditional theater art form which combines music, vocal performance, pantomime,
dance, and acrobatics
4. It is a form of traditional Japanese drama with highly stylized song, mime, and dance and
performed only by male actors

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