It has been far too long since my last blog post on my vacation at Prague in Czech Republic. I meant for this post to be out last year but hey, better late than never right? It took me quite long to figure out that folks in Prague are passionate about their puppets. My observation confirmed that puppet shops with Pinocchio, Charlie Chaplin, Superman, Michael Jackson and Elvis could be found on nearly every block, in yet another puppet shop. Prague has over 20 specialized puppet shops, 30 puppet makers and a puppet museum! Puppets may just about outnumber people in Prague where residents take their puppets quite seriously. While puppetry has a part in the folk arts of many European countries, it is perhaps the Czech Republic that has embraced it the most deeply in terms of the skills involved, the wit of the characterisation and its place in the nation’s social fabric. Indeed, puppetry has been part of Czech culture for centuries, with puppeteers travelling from village to village to entertain the locals, passing their skills, scripts and marionettes down through the generations until puppetry became recognised as an art form crucial to the evolving state’s sense of self. 初到布拉格, 只见街边店铺满是不会说话的 “匹诺曹” 木偶. 听友人说, 布拉格的木偶比人还多. 看来这个地方果真配得上 “玩偶之国” 的称号. 木偶是捷克 “国剧”, 只要是有人走过的地方都能看到木偶的影子, 似乎木偶都快成捷克的灵魂了. 木偶一般是由5-8跟线来控制的, 如果你到商店购买的话, 店主也会教你如何控制这个木偶的. 这是个费力费神的技术活. 每年都有好多慕名而来布拉格的游客, 但是如果在布拉格的街头逛上一会, 你就会惊奇的发现, 这里最多的不是那满街的游客, 而是无处不在的小木偶. 这个地方果真配得上 “玩偶之国” 的称号. The Czech Republic has a long history of puppetry, puppet-making and marionettes. Czech puppets have been a part of Czech tradition since the middle of the 18th century. At that point in time, Czech puppeteers roamed Central Europe to tell stories and entertain crowds. Czech puppet-making and puppetry gradually developed into a revered art form; bringing Czech puppetry to new levels of sophistication. Puppets, carved from wood, were given the most expression-free faces possible. It was the puppeteer's job to infuse life and feeling into the puppet by manipulating the puppet's movement and timing. 据说, 捷克木偶最早起源于给孩子讲故事的需求. 那时的木偶很简陋, 用手指就可以表演. 后来越来越讲究, 就连没条件进剧院的大人, 也开始用它来自娱自乐. 不过更重要的是, 木偶还充当了捷克民族重生的见证者. 当年捷克长期被控制在哈布斯堡王朝的统治之下, 正规剧院上演的都是德语剧目, 人们很担心捷克的民族语言会被渐渐遗忘. 好在用捷克语演出的木偶剧目振奋了民族精神. 如今, 木偶戏被捷克人定为 “国剧”, 外国人不看上一场, 等于白到布拉格一趟. 从市中心的瓦茨拉夫大街, 到老城区的巷子里, 查理大桥的两头, 只要人能走到的地方, 都有木偶店. 不仅橱窗里塞得满满的, 还层层叠叠挂在四壁上. 其中, 调皮的匹诺曹和奇幻的哈利波特最受欢迎, 胖胖的好兵帅克也是捷克木偶的典型代表. The interior of a typical cluttered shop with puppets stacked from floor to ceiling. 木偶店里的人物琳琅满目, 彷彿走入一个童话世界. Puppetry is a national pastime that borders on being an obsession and is deeply ingrained in the Czech culture. This art form is highly respected and has quite a large following throughout the country. Puppet pride is part of the current art scene and culture. Puppet artists lovingly hand carve puppets out of linden wood, the national tree of the Czech Republic, while others are made of plaster and soft sculpture. These works of art feature impeccable details with realistic facial expressions and ornate costumes. 东欧的女巫是出名的, 虽然她家的女巫们似乎都把掃帚拉在了家里. 捷克的木偶制作相当讲究, 通常为木制或泡沫塑料材质, 种类分为提线木偶, 手套式木偶和木偶玩具. 提线木偶, 顾名思义, 将木偶的四肢和头部用线提起来, 这些线最终在木偶头部上方的总控制轴交汇, 人们利用这一控制轴来操纵木偶. 手套式木偶即为常见的直接用手操纵的木偶, 将自己的一只手伸入木偶的身体任意摆弄木偶的四肢和头部. 木偶玩具则做工极为精细考究, 通常被制作成穿戴华丽民族服饰的捷克少女形象. Handmade puppets made in the traditional Old World way are the pride of Prague. Puppetry is a national pastime that borders on being an obsession and is deeply ingrained in the Czech culture. This art form is highly respected and has quite a large following throughout the country. Puppet pride is part of the current art scene and culture. Puppet artists lovingly hand carve puppets out of linden wood, the national tree of the Czech Republic, while others are made of plaster and soft sculpture. These works of art feature impeccable details with realistic facial expressions and ornate costumes. All of the puppet shops I visited were cluttered with puppets on shelves and dangling from the ceiling like a spider’s cobwebs. It’s easy to get ensnarled in the puppets strings if you don’t watch where you’re walking. As artists, each puppet maker had their own distinct style, some of the puppets were cutesy and whimsical, while others frighteningly austere, but they all had their unique puppet personalities. 此外, 木偶取材的人物和动物形象种类繁多, 有童话故事里的国王王后, 骑士公主, 也有著名小说剧本里的主人公, 职业涉及厨师, 军官, 仆人, 艺术家, 乞丐, 医生, 护士, 巫师, 巫婆, 海盗, 警察和指挥家. 在布拉格充满复古味道的大街小巷, 你随处可见好兵帅克, 哈里波特, 白雪公主和七个小矮人, 米老鼠, 吸血鬼形象的木偶. 当然, 著名喜剧大师卓别林, 音乐大师莫扎特也免不了被捷克人做成木偶. The majority of puppets bought in the touristy shops of Prague are supposed to be souvenirs. It is a rare artist who can transform bits of wood into agile puppets, and the value of these can escalate into 1000′s of dollars. However, because the puppets boast a vibrant present and a celebrated past in the Czech Republic, even a straightforward witch, Pinocchio or jester will be a nice way to remember your Czech adventures. 若是春节假期遊捷克, 你会发现大大小小的木偶商店, 说明该国已全面进化成资本主义国度, 并成了旅遊热点. 捷克木偶手工业萌芽于19世纪, 当时的木偶主要用作木偶戏表演用, 或是家庭一般摆设. 近10年木偶制作腾飞, 主要归功于人们为传统提线木偶一个市场经济下的新定位──遊客纪念品. 捷克缔造了辉煌的商业成果. 今天你遊布拉格买木偶, 就如遊摩洛哥买上等地毡一样, 是必然之选. 那些不仅仅是木头啊, 那姿势, 那表情, 那眼神...他们都是有灵气的. 也许某一天, 会变成真的. 当坐着电车穿梭在布拉格的时候, 街道两旁的风格各异的建筑里都是流光溢彩的店铺. 最可爱的是这些商店里的提线木偶了. 这些木偶人都是细细屡屡的挂着, 让人看起来真是爱不释手. After my visit to Prague, i realized that Prague is indeed the Puppet Capital of the World and i couldn’t resist getting entangled in Prague’s puppet scene!
许多商店贩卖木偶,是项极具当地特色的纪念品. 大的木偶造型及绳索比较复杂, 但小一点的木偶只要店家略加指点, 每个人都能操作自如, 不妨选购一个色彩鲜豔的回家摆饰,美丽极了. 在全球化的21世纪, 传统不断承受冲击, 急剧蜕变. 下次遊捷克, 看见色彩缤纷的提线木偶, 可以看看眼力, 猜它到底是传统工艺, 还是现代化工厂的制成品.
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