Wayang
The shadow puppet theater is spread in several countries around the world. But certainly Indonesia is a place where the tradition of this form of performances is still the most popular and lively particularly in the central region of Java.
Wayang Kulit in Central Java is probably one of the oldest continuous traditions of storytelling in the world, and certainly among the most highly developed. It use old Javanese language or sometimes Sanskrit. 
The wayang is a flat or round puppets used for shows in Java.The wayang kulit is the flat one and it is made with buffalo leather. They are manipulated behind a white screen with a back light, so the attendance can see them as shadow puppets.On the right hand side are the good characters, on the left hand side the bad. The open space between them, about two meters wide, represents the stage.
A wayang performance is also a great place to listen to a Gamelan orchestra which always comes along with the play. The time is now nine o'clock. The evening wind brings coolness and everyone is in place for the show. The Dalang lifts the chempala (rod) with his left hand and simultaneously we hear the soulful and haunting sound of the rebab (two string violin). Now every one is listening. The Dalang quickly glances up at the lamp above his head, and after removing the 'gunungan', the mountain, from the center of the stage, he then begins....In Temanggung, every Javanesse New Year We can find this show in Traji, near Parakan. It usually starts at 09.00 pm and finish at 04.00 am (non stop). It usually last in 3 days. A lot of people come to see this. However, Javanese children are introduced to wayang at an early age. They see the heroes about whom they have heard stories appear on the stage. Children sometime attend the complete performances that last an entire night.
