Lakhon chatri
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Lakhon chatri ( th, ละครชาตรี, ) is a genre of dance-drama from Central Thailand and is closely related to the
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of
Southern Thailand Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus. Geography Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounde ...
. The word "chatri" has been derived from
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
"kshatriya" which means a member of the
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
royal and warrior class above Vaisyas and below the
Brahmans Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru o ...
. Lakhon Chatri presents the story of the kings.


History

Most Thai cultural historians agree that the Lakhon Chatri, defined by women who speak their lines with a lively musical accompaniment, and which features slightly off-color humor and rapid, animated movements, is the oldest surviving form. Lakhon Chatri was popular in the Southern region of Thailand before it was introduced to
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
in three periods. 1769 was the first time when King Taksin of Thonburi along with his army took power over several people including the Lakhon Chatri troupe from Nakhon Si Thammarat (southern region of Thailand) after having suppressed the ruler. In 1780, King Taksin commanded the troupes to perform Lakhon Chatri in competition with the
royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...
court's dance drama troupe during the celebration of the Emerald Buddha statue. During the reign of King Rama the third in 1832, Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Maha Prayurawong (Dit Bunnag) with his army, suppressed an uprising in the southern region and brought along with him several talented performers of Lakhon Chatri. Who formed a performing group together that became famous and the genre continued to be passed on to younger generations until today.


Characteristics of Lakhon Chatri

In the past, Lakhon Chatri
troupe Troupe may refer to: General * Comedy troupe, a group of comedians *Dance troupe, a group of dancers ** Fire troupe, a group of fire dancers * Troupe system, a method of playing role-playing games * Theatrical troupe, a group of theatrical perform ...
comprised an all-male
cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...
. This performing art is also similar to
Lakhon Nok Lakhon nok ( th, ละครนอก, ) is a genre of theatre originating from the Ayutthaya era. It was based on the folk performances, similar to lakhon chatri, from what is now Southern Thailand.Brandon pg. 62 References Bibliography * Bra ...
.


Performance area

Having a
square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...
shaped area, the troupes set up four poles in four corners with one bench in the square. The pole in the middle is called Sao Mahachai (great victory pole). Also there is a roof above the performance area. There is a low stool which is placed in the middle of the covered space.Vajrabul, S. (2007) ''Performing Arts.'' Asia Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU). Retrieved September 26, 2016 from http://www.accu.or.jp/ich/en/arts/A_THA4.html


Costumes

The troupes perform shirtless. The main character wears more refined costumes than other characters. Sanap phlao (calf length trousers) is used. The
decorative Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes these objects pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, together with art and taste, is the main subject of aesthetics, o ...
cloth strips include hoi na (hanging from the front) and hoi khang (hanging from the side). Other decorative accessories are the Sangwan (jewels sashes), thap suag (a
pendant A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, which may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. Its name stems from the Latin word ' ...
), krong kho (an embroidered collar) and a soet (a pointed crown-like headdress).


Performance

Before the performance begins, the performers perform their
rite Rite may refer to: * Ritual, an established ceremonious act * Rite of passage, a ceremonious act associated with social transition Religion * Rite (Christianity), a sacred ritual or liturgical tradition in various Christian denominations * Cath ...
s to pay respect to the teachers and past masters. Followed by Hom Rong Chatti (Chatri's overture) by the Pi Phat
orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
, Rong Prakat Na Bot, Ram Sat Na Bot (Sat Na Bot dance) to the music by the main character who dances in an
anti-clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite s ...
circle. The main character would chant an
incantation An incantation, a spell, a charm, an enchantment or a bewitchery, is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremo ...
, a spell, while dancing in a bid to invoke protections from the evil. The story begins as the main character sits on the bench. From this point onwards the main character begins to sing while other characters in the story sing the chorus. When the performance finishes, the main character performs a Sat dance again, but this time he chants the incantation backwards and moves in a clockwise circle, called Khlai Yan ("undoing the spell"), to undo the spell.


References

*{{cite web , url=http://ich.culture.go.th/index.php/en/ich/performing-arts/238-stage/185-lakhon-chatri , title= Performing arts - Lakhon Chatri , author= , date= 2009 , website= มรดกภูมิปัญญาทางวัฒนธรรม - Intangible Cultural Heritage, Thailand , publisher=Department of Cultural Promotion, Ministry of Culture of Thailand, accessdate= 1 January 2015 Thai dance Thai culture