Local Culture
Due to it’s remoteness from Bangkok, the south has developed it’s own culture with unique types of music, dance and entertainment.
Shadow Plays A popular art in southern Thailand, buffalo hide is cut into figures for the dramas. The figures are held up behind a lit screen, creating shadows, and the puppeteer sings verses of the stories, which have complex plots often taken from the great Hindu epics. The performance is accompanied by the same music as Nora. These performances are a key feature of temple fairs and rural celebrations and usually last all night.
Manors or None Native to southern Thailand, the performance combines movement, traditional costumes and lyrics, which are created ‘ad lib’ to the accompanying music. Quick wits are required for the performer to create words, which are meaningful and rhyme.
Li Kae Pa Li Kae Pa is a song and dance drama following the adventures of an ndian merchant who married a local girl. Three performers act out the story, accompanied by the music of tambourines, cymbals, gongs and pipes. The lead character wears a bearded mask and performs both solo and chorus numbers with dramatic, humorous or romantic themes.
