Wayang Kulit

Wayang means shadow or reflection. The wayang kulit, it is said, is a reflection of all aspects of human life. It reflects both individual attributes and the nature of humankind as a whole. This is why it is not unusual for the audience at a wayang kulit performance to burst into sobs or laugh out loud, even though what they are watching is merely the shadow of a leather puppet projected into a screen.
Human attributes represented in the wayang fall under the general categories of good and evil, sadness and joy. These dual aspects are represented respectively by the left and right side of the screen. The outside of the screen symbolizes the human face and all its expressions. The inside of the screen symbolizes the human will. The light source which casts the shadow symbolizes the light of the human soul, which inspires the aforementioned wiil.
And the puppeteer (dalang) symbolizes the human soul it self, which gives life to the body. The percussions that accompanies the wayang kulit performances symbolizes the soul's rhythm. The rhythm stop when the soul ang the material body are motionless,i.e. the character has died.
In the macrocosmos, the wayang symbolizes all forms of human behavior, which can be divided into two general categories. The wise occupies the right hand side of the screen, whereas the evil occupies the left. The screen is a small part of this material world. The light source symbolizes the sun that light the world, and reveals the existence of the almighty. The puppeteer symbolizes God Himself, concealed behind the light source. When the performance is over, the wayang kulit will be returned to theirbox, which is a symbol of heaven. The whole wayang world represents the cycle of life: birth, life and deadth.
Wayang has existed for centauries in both Bali and Java. In Bali the wayang stories first developed as legend passed down from ancestors, and later stories from the Hindu epics were introduced into the wayang. Best known of the many Balinese wayang storiesare the Parwa, taken from the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana, the story of Ramadewa and Dewi Sinta. The gamelan accompaniment to the Ramayana wayang includes many more instruments than is the case for the Parwa wayang. For instance, the gamelan for the Parwa wayang only includes one or two gender sets as well as drums, cymbals, a flute, and other instruments. Other wayang stories includ the arja wayang, the Cupak Wayang, the Gambuh Wayang.
Wayang performances are considered as complete dramatic phenomena in their own right, as they include a number of art forms such as vocals/singing, literature, visual arts, dance, and poetry recital. The dalang is at once a choreographer, an actor and a director. For this reason wayang dalangs must have vast knowledge of philosophy, law and spiritual matters.
The wayang kulit is most often represented as merely a form of entertaiment. But some wayang performances, such as the Wayang Sapuleger, are connected to certain ritual occasions such as the blessing of a newborn child in the week dedicated to wayang, where by child is blessed with special wayang holy water prepared by a dalang.