Yoke thé ရုပ်သေ (literal translation is "miniatures" ) is the Burmese name for marionette puppetry. Like most of Burmese refined art, yoke thé performances originated from royal patronage and were gradually adapted for the wider populace. Yoke thé are almost always performed in the form of Burmese operas.
Burmese marionettes are very intricate and their use requires dexterous skills, as they employ 18 or 19 wires for male and female characters respectively, and each puppet is controlled by only one puppeteer.
The probable date of the origin of Burmese marionettes is given as around 1780, during the reign of Singu Min, and their introduction is credited to the Minister of Royal Entertainment, U Thaw. From their inception, marionettes enjoyed great popularity in the courts of the Konbaung dynasty. Little has changed since the creation of the art by U Thaw, and the set of characters developed by him is still in use today. Until the conquest of Upper Burma by the British in late ...
Chinese New Year in Bangkok 2026, the year of the horse, on Yaowarat Road.
Chinese New Year in Bangkok brings one of the most exhilarating celebrations to Yaowarat Road in the middle of Bangkok’s Chinatown. The entire street comes to life with crowds of worshippers, exploding firecrackers, and dragon dancers. This time of year, families of Chinese descent gather to join in the street celebrations.
This annual event usually takes place around January or February, with exact dates calculated from the Chinese Lunar Calendar.
On New Year’s Day, parents will hand red envelopes called ang pao (containing money) to their unmarried children. Most people start visiting their extended families and relatives to exchange a few oranges and ang pao, as well as wishing them a Happy Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year is one of the most exhilarating times of the year, with dynamic sights and sounds. Shopowners of Chinese descent decorate their places with red paper lanterns, Chinese calligraphy banners, ...
King Narai the Great Reign Festival (also known as the King Narai the Great Fair or งานพระนารายณ์มหาราช in Thai), a major annual cultural event in Lopburi Province, Thailand.
The 38th King Narai the Great Reign Festival, held from February 13 to 22, 2026, at Phra Narai Ratchaniwet Palace and surrounding historical sites in Lopburi Province, transforms the area into a vibrant celebration of Thailand’s rich Ayutthaya-era heritage.
This grand 10-day and 10-night event honors King Narai the Great, the renowned monarch who ruled from 1656 to 1688 and elevated Lopburi (ancient Lavo) as a secondary capital, fostering prosperity, diplomacy, and international trade.
The festival’s theme, “Lavo Identity: Honoring King Narai the Great and Her Majesty the Queen Mother of All Thais,” pays tribute to his legacy while highlighting the gracious contributions of Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother in preserving traditional arts, such as mudmee silk, deeply tied to the ...
Prang Sam Yod Temple พระปรางค์สามยอด (early 13th century)
Prang Sam Yod (the 'Three Tower Temple') was a Mahayana Buddhist temple built by the powerful Khmer Emperor Jayavarman VII (1181-1221). At that time, Lopburi (then known as Lavo) was on the northwestern frontiers of the empire.
Jayavarman may have been motivated to construct Prang Sam Yod as a center for the cult of royalty and the Buddhist religious system that imbued it with legitimacy. Some evidence for this is that Jayavarman also had installed in Lopburi a statue known as 'Jayabuddhamahanatha', which translates as 'Victorius Buddha, the Great Protector'. In any event, three major Buddhist deities were worshipped at this temple: the Buddha in the central tower, the Bodhisattva Avalokitasvara in the south tower, and Prajnaparamita (the goddess of wisdom) in the north tower.
The triple-tower layout of Prang Sam Yod was already a well-established convention at the time of its construction. One innovation is ...
