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India:
Theater and Festival
Many of the world's greatest stories and fairytales derived
from traditional Indian theater performed in religious and seasonal
festivals. Elaborate masks and puppets are used in the telling of
these well-loved stories. The three large papier-mache figures in
this case depict characters from the Ramayana, an epic poem. The
Ramayana and its characters — Rama, loyal to his father's memory,
and Rama's wife Sita, the paragon of wifely virtues — are widely
known to children in every town in India. Other characters from
the Ramayana are Ravana, the demon king (bearded 10-headed gold
mask), and Hanuman, the monkey king (red mask in Crafts case on
left). These performances were held outdoors with limited scenery.
Each Indian village had its own unique way of celebrating religious
and popular mythic stories. Although theater today in India has
to compete with movies and television, old religious and mythic
themes are still popular.
Student activity - standards: SS2, A4, ELA4
 India:
The Wedding
This diorama dramatically depicts a wedding in a rural
Hindu village in central India. The wedding was an important family
celebration in both urban and rural settings. Rarely were two families
joined together from the same village; this was not socially desirable.
In accordance with important Hindu beliefs, the bride and groom
had to be from the same caste and subcaste. The bride's ornate clothing
and jewelry visually expressed the wealth of her family to the wedding
guests and spectators. Her jewelry alone was hers to keep or use
as she needed. Besides her husband, the Brahman priest and the matchmaker,
often the village barber, are shown.
Student activity - standards: SS2, ELA4, SS3, M6
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