Marionettes In Prague – Market Friday
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY MARIONETTES IN PRAGUE MARKETS?
Everywhere you go in Prague you will find beautiful colorful marionettes. They are in the markets, on stalls on the Charles Bridge, they are hanging from shop doors, and they can be seen through shop windows. But why is there such a fascination with marionettes in the Czech Republic?
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
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My image can be licensed through Getty Images here
When I visit a place, I always like to delve into the culture, so the following is what I learned about the Czech love affair with marionettes!
The Czechs have been making hand carved wooden or plaster marionettes and puppets since the 18th century when traveling puppeteers from England, Italy, Holland and Germany brought puppet shows to the area. In those days, puppet shows were intended for adults to watch, so the puppets were often life size and replaced live actors.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
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My image can be licensed through Alamy here
Over the years, the marionettes became smaller, and the business of puppeteering was handed down from father to son through generations. The shows were generally held in the village square or in the local pub, and were often based on traditional Czech plays.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
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My image can be licensed through Alamy here
The plays in the theaters in the city were performed in German which was the official language of Bohemia, part of the Habsburg Dynasty at the time, but the village puppet shows were performed in the Czech language.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
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My image can be licensed through Alamy here
The Czech National Revival was a cultural movement to preserve the Czech identity and language. During the early 19th century puppet shows were used to promote the ideas of the Enlightenment and the National Revival, so puppeteers were regarded as cultural icons who helped to save the Czech language and culture.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
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So, is there any wonder that marionettes play an important role in Czech life still today?
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Click on the image to view full screen!
My image can be licensed through Alamy here
Thanks to @dswigle for #marketfriday!
Camera | Canon EOS 5D |
Location | Prague, Czech Republic |
Post-processing | Adobe® Photoshop CC 2018 and Adobe® Camera Raw |
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Fascinating information on the history of the puppets, and of course some stunning pictures to go with it.
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Thanks! I had to find out why! LOL! That's what I love about visiting places.
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Interesting market!
Thanks! Actually, they are from different markets throughout the city and were taken on different trips too. I have loads more, but these are all I could find today!
I loved learning their history, thanks for finding out and sharing it with us. :D
You are welcome! I dig into all kinds of stuff before and after I visit a place. We have an upcoming trip to Iceland and Scotland this summer. I had a one day layover in Iceland last year, so I gleaned what information I could. This summer's trip is 6 months away, but I have bought a book about Iceland, and I am following a blog written by an American living there. I thrive on all the details. LOL!
I did not have idea about it, really interesting. I can’t wait to visit Prague and get my marionette soon! Thank you for share @dmacamera. Amazing photos by the way.
It's a great place to visit - my most favorite city ever!
Beautiful marionettes, when i was a girl i was using a puppet to say the things that I was not daring to say to the adults. Definitively these marionettes have much that to express. saludos!
Yes, puppets are very useful for that. I think even in the adult shows that used the marionettes, they used them to say things that people would not say to each other!
Thank you for sharing your photoessay on the history of these Marionette's!
You are welcome!
Very interesting and good shots too!
Thanks! I had to get to the bottom of it. After all, we don't see marionettes in every market in the US, now do we? LOL!
Very well done @dmcamera! Nice pics and I love the world history lesson as well! I hardly ever see marionettes where I live in California, so this was a very refreshing and educational read 😊
They are not too common in Florida either. Lol! That’s why they fascinated me too!