Nang Yai หนังใหญ่ (shadow puppet show)

“Nang Yai” is one of Thailand’s traditional dramatic art forms that combines a number of different artistic crafts into one. In terms of visual arts, the elaborate and detailed traditional design of the characters ore first drawn by a master artist. Then the design is applied onto a piece of leather and painstakingly etched into almost lace-like proportion. The pieces are then mounted onto sticks and they are then given life by a master puppeteer in a classical drama performance complete with live Thai musical ensemble and a singer to provide the narrative.
“Nang Yai” is believed to have originated since the Sukhothai era, but existing evidence goes back to the Ayuttaya period during the reign of King U-Thong, when it was considered a very popular dramatic art form.