Thai River Festival
Loi Krathong—Thailand's annual river festival of lights—includes the ethereal practice of floating offerings along waterways, usually performed on a full moon night. A banana-leaf cup drifting down the stream carries away ill-fortune, honors the River Goddess, and symbolizes wishes for good luck.
Join us at MATCHA for our own Loi Krathong celebration! See classical dance and live ensemble music by the Thai Cultural Center, enjoy a rare puppet performance by the Mandalay Marionettes Theatre (from Burma), create a river offering (in Thailand they're traditionally floated down waterways), learn about the mythical Thai Bird people, sample the vibrant flavors of Burmese Tea Leaf Salad, engage in docent conversations, stroll the galleries, sip cocktails from the cash bar, mingle with friends, and step into Emerald Cities—a luminous exhibition of stunning artworks from 19th-century Siam and Burma.
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Event Schedule
5–9
Tasty Sample: Burmese Tea Leaf Salad
Art Activity: Create Your Own River Offering
Live Thai Ensemble Music
Cash Bars
5:30
Talk on Mythical Thai Bird-Women (kinnari)
6:00
Burmese Marionette Introduction & Demonstration
6:30, 8:30
Docent Conversations:
Emerald Cities
7:30
Classical Thai Dance Performance
8
Docent Conversations: Southeast Asian Galleries
Related Events
AsiaAlive: Burmese Puppet Troupe
Tuesday, October 27 through Sunday, October 31
12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
Members of Mandalay Marionette Theatre from Burma will share their traditional puppet making process. Watch their puppet mastery, and create an artwork to take home.
AsiaAlive: Thai Mask Painting
Tuesday, November 3 through Sunday, November 8
12:00 noon–4:00 pm
FREE with museum admission
In Thai performing arts, gorgeous costumes with richly gilded crowns and colorful masks play an important role in conveying the gestures and meanings of the dance. Observe how an artist from Thailand creates intricate patterns and colors on papier mache masks using paint, gold leaves, and colored glass.
Two-Day Traditional Thai Dance Workshop
Saturdays, December 5 and 12
10:30 am-2:00 pm
$50 for museum members; $67 for general public (includes general admission and entry to Emerald Cities)
Space is limited, pre-registration is required: publicprograms@asianart.org or (415) 581-3665
Dance instructors from the Thai Cultural Center of the San Francisco Bay Area will lead this class introducing the graceful, precise, and dramatic nature of classical Thai dance. There will also be a focus on some of the themes present in dance such as stories from Thai history, literature, and mythology that borrow largely from Hindu traditions as well as the practices and customs of ancient royal courts.
Click here for more programming held in conjunction with Emerald Cities
