[Slovakia & Czech Republic] Puppetry - UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Lucicinka
In 2016, puppetry became part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It remains an inseparable part of the countries’ theatrical and literary traditions. The first references to puppeteers performing in Slovakia date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. The original puppetry repertoire, which had its roots in imported European models, underwent a process of folklorization very early in the Slovak environment. It gradually became enriched not only with specific local linguistic and thematic elements, but also with its own typology of characters and artistic conception of the puppets.
World Puppetry Day is March 21. The idea came from the puppet theater artist Javad Zolfaghari from Iran. In 2000 at the XVIII Congress of the Union Internationale de la Marionnette, (UNIMA) in Magdeburg, he made the proposal for discussion.
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Lucicinka
Another good stamp could be for marionette or charakter named Gašparko.
In both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the most widespread puppet type was the marionette. Puppetry in the territory of present-day Slovakia began to develop in the 17th century in rural areas. The earliest performances were simplified plays such as Faust and Don Juan, and they were not fairy tales. During this period, an important puppetry hero, Gašparko, emerged — a character symbolizing the effort to liberate the nation from Austrian rule.