Shadow-puppet theatre
Traditional Thai shadow-puppet theatre is something of a declining art. Two forms still exist, mainly in the south of Thailand. The nang thalung form is what visitors will most likely encounter in places like Nakhon Si Thammarat. Originating from Malaysia and Indonesia, nang thalung recounts excerpts from the Ramakien.
Puppeteers manipulate figures made from nang (dried buffalo hide) against a translucent screen, which is backlit by torches, to relate complex tales of good and evil. A rarer version of shadow-puppet play in south Thailand, known as nang yai, uses life-size puppets but is seldom practised due to the lack of expertise.