World Puppetry Day is celebrated every year on 21 March. This day is dedicated to the Puppetry art form and it is also an opportunity to pay tribute to the puppeteers who live all over the world. The World Puppetry Day was first established in 2003 by the Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA).
The history of puppetry can
be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization in 2500 B.C. A terracotta doll
with a detachable head was found by archaeologists. This puppet was capable of
being manipulated by a string and it was a very popular form of entertainment
that was performed for the common people.
Puppetry also has a history in ancient Greece.
The "Greece" puppetry shows that were performed in front of the
common people and had a strong influence on the development of European
puppetry.
The first archaeological
evidence of puppets in Egypt was also found in 2000 B.C. These puppets were
made of wood and they were operated by string.
In 16th century, the
traditional British "Punch and Judy" puppetry originated from the
Italian commedia dell'arte. This form of puppetry became very popular with the
common people and it continued to evolve through the 19th century.
The World Puppetry Day is an
opportunity to recognize the Puppetry art form as a global community and to
celebrate the diversity of puppetry practices around the world. It is also a
day to reflect on the importance of maintaining and safeguarding the traditional
traditions of puppetry.
This day reminds us that puppetry transcends all types of cultural and linguistic barriers. It makes people happy and distracts them from their daily stress.
World Puppetry Day takes us
back to our childhood where we played with dolls and inanimate objects and gave
them names. We should observe this day to keep the child in us alive.
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