Arts Project

Festivals Of
Asia
(China, Japan, Indonesia,
and Thailand)
Project in Arts-8
Submitted to: Submitted by:
Ma’am Diane Rose Farolan Alexander
Bandril
Chinese Spring: New Year Festival
 Chinese New Year is the longest and the most important festivity in the Chinese
calendar.
 Chinese New Year is known as “Spring Festival” the literal translation of the
Chinese name Chunjie, since the spring season in Chinese calendar starts with
lichun, the first solar term in Chinese calendar year. It marks the end of the winter
season.
 The festival begins on the first day of the first month in the traditional calendar and
ends with the Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day
 Chinese New Year’s Eve, a day where Chinese families gather for their annual
reunion dinner, is known as Chuxi or “Eve of the Passing Year.”
 Because the Chinese calendar is lunar-solar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to
as the “Lunar New Year.”
The following are the China’s customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the
Chinese New Year:
 People will pour out their money to buy presents, decorations, materials, food, and
clothing.
 Houses are thoroughly cleaned in order to sweep away any ill fortune and to make
way for good incoming luck.
 Windows and doors will be decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with
popular themes of good Tortune or happiness, wealth, and longevity.
 On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is feast with families. Food will include
item such as pork, duck, meat, chicken, sweet delicacies.
 The family will end the night with firecrackers.
 Children greet their parents early in the morning by wishing them a healthy and a
happy new year, and received money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year
tradition is to reconcile, forget all hatred, and sincerely wish peace and happiness
for everyone.
Dragon Dance
The Dragon Dance is a for of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture; like the
lion dance it is most often seen in festive celebrations. Many Chinese people often use the
term "Descendants of the Dragon," 333 (long de chuan ren) as a sign of ethnic identity. The
emperor of China usually used the dragon as a symbol of his imperial power and strength.
The Dragon dance is a highlight of Chinese New Year celebrations. The dragon symbolizes
power, strength, and good luck. The dance team mimics the supposed movements of this
river spirit in a flowing, rise and fall manner. The movements in a performance traditionally
symbolize historical roles of dragons demonstrating power and dignity.
Taiko Drum Festival of Japan
 A good example of a professional taiko drumming troupe is the Kodo.
 The name Kodo conveys two meaning:

 Heartbeat the primal source of all rhythm and, read in a different way.
 Children of the drum, a reflection of Kodo’s desire to play their drums
simply, with the heart of a child.
The main focus of the performance includes the following:
 Uchite, the taiko drummer
 Different drums
 Other traditional Japanese musical instruments such as fue and shamisen make an
appearance on stage
 Traditional dance vocal performance are part of the performance.
 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.
 Drums were 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)
The Drums
 Odaiko
 Chudaiko
 Okedo Daiko
 Shime Daiko
 Chudaiko or Nagado Daiko
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
In Hinduism, dance is an accompaniment to the perpetual dissolving and reforming of the
world. 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 & 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 refined dance form characterized by intricate
finger movements, complicated foot work, and expressive gestures and facial
expressions;
Variations
Among the dance traditions in Bali, these terms deserve special mention:
Kecak, (a monkey dance) a form of Balinese dance and music drama, it originated in the
1930’s in Bali and is performed primarily by men.
Training of Bali Dance

 Bali dancers 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
 Multiple levels 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 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 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 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 13th century when a young queen made a small boat
adorned with candles and sent it down the river
It is a ritual honoring Pra Mae Kongka, the goddess of water. The construction of the
colorful boats was a way of not only giving thanks for the abundance of water, but also a way
to seek forgiveness for oversue and pollution. Today, Loy Krathong is a way for people to
make wishes and look toward the future.

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Festivals Of

 The family will end the night with firecrackers.

Taiko Drum Festival of Japan

 A good example of a professional taiko drumming troupe is the Kodo.

 The name Kodo conveys two meaning:

Costumes and Props

Balinese Dance Festival of Indonesia

expression among the Balinese people.

Shiva & Durga

Training of Bali Dance

calendar. In western calendar this usually falls in November.

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