World Puppetry Day (21 March) History, Significance, Theme and Observation

World Puppetry Day Quick Facts

World Puppetry Day Brief

World Puppet Day is celebrated on 21 March every year around the world. Various types of programs are organized on Puppet Day all over the world.

World Puppetry Day History

World Puppet Day was started on 21 March 2003 in France. The idea of celebrating this day came to the mind of Iran's puppet presenter Javed Jolpaghari, in the year 2000, during the 18th (UNMIA) conference in Magdeburg, this proposal was put up for consideration, and after 2 years it was adopted by the Council in Atlanta in June of 2002.

It was celebrated for the First time in the year 2003, since then this day is celebrated with pomp in all other countries of the world including India. The history of puppetry is very old. In the fourth century BCE, Panini's Ashtadhyayi mentions effigy play in the Natsutra.

कुSome people refer to the Mythological story about the birth of a puppet Shivaji started this art by entering a wooden idol and seducing Parvati. Thirty-two effigies of Vikramaditya's throne are also mentioned in the story 'Sinhasan Battisi'.

In the Satavardhana period, it expanded from India to the countries of East Asia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Java, Sri Lanka, etc.

Today this art has reached many countries like China, Russia, Romania, England, Czechoslovakia, America, Japan, etc. Contemporary use of this method in these countries has given it a multi-faceted form. Apart from entertainment, their puppets are being used in many fields like education, advertising, etc.

World Puppetry Day Objective

The purpose of this day is to reach the ancient Folk art to the masses and to make the coming generation aware of it, because puppet art is not only a means of entertainment but also a powerful medium to make people aware.

More info about World Puppetry Day

Where did the art of puppetry originate?

Mythological literature, folk tales and legends have played an important role in the storytelling of traditional puppet plays in India. Earlier the stories of Amar Singh Rathod, Prithviraj, Heer-Ranjha, Laila-Majnun and Shiri-Farhad were shown in the puppet game, but now comedy-satire along with contemporary subjects, women's education, adult education, family planning , Enlightening and other entertaining programs have been shown.

The performance of puppets based on rituals has also changed a lot. Now this game is not happening in the streets, alleyways, but on big platforms under the glare of floodlights.

What is the art or sport of puppetry? And where is it famous?

The game of 'Puppet' is a very ancient theatrical game, which has been widely practiced throughout the civilized world from the west coast of the Pacific Ocean to the east coast. This game is played by dolls or effigies.

Various events of life are expressed in different ways by the male and female forms of dolls and life is presented on the stage in a dramatic way. The puppets are either of wood or of Paris-plaster or of paper pulp. The parts of his body are connected in such a way that when the strings attached to them are pulled, they can move separately.

Till some time ago, people considered puppet art only as a means of entertainment, but now this art is taking the form of a career. Now this beautiful art is becoming popular in India as well as abroad. The person who performs the game of puppetry is called a puppet artist or puppeteer.

Presently, Puppet shows are becoming very popular in television and films like NDTV's Puppet show 'Gustakhi Maaf' and Star One's Laughter show Ka Rancho etc.

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