Wayang is a well-known Indonesian cultural expression in the world.
Wayang is a native Indonesian culture that has existed since the reign of the king.
This is demonstrated by the fact that wayang performances are always said to have existed long before Raden Said or Sunan Kalijaga, who were among the first to be included in the propaganda tool section. This means that wayang existed prior to Raden Said or Sunan Kalijaga.
Wayang are found almost everywhere in Indonesia, though they go by different name. Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, Sundanese level, or what we call West Java, Jakarta, and Banten, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, South Kalimantan, and South Sumatra are all places where wayang culture develops.
This means that almost everyone in Indonesia has seen a wayang performance.There are numerous types of wayang, including wayang beber, wayang kulit Betawi, wayang suket, wayang golek, and others.
This type of wayang varies depending on where it is from; for example, wayang beber is from the Pacitan area, wayang kulit is from the Betawi area, and so on.
According to existing records, wayang was designated as a "Masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity" by UNESCO on November 7, 2003, and was later included in the list of intangible cultural heritage recorded by UNESCO for the "Representative list of the intangible culture" category.
Meanwhile, the new puppet day in Indonesia was set on December 17, 2018 with the decision of the Republic of Indonesia Number 30 of 2018, which is about the national wayang day, where the national wayang day is decided to be celebrated on November 7 every year. On that day, the first puppet day was put into action.
The puppet and the puppeteer are two essential components of the wayang. Wayang is a prop used by a puppeteer to perform performances, which in the world of wayang are filled with life advice aimed at teaching the wider community how to live a good and noble life.