Masked characters,
usually divinities, are a central feature of Indian dramatic forms, many based on
depicting the epics href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharata">Mahabharata and
Countries that have had strong Indian cultural influences – href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia">Cambodia, href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma">Burma, href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia">Indonesia,
Vietnam –
have developed the Indian forms, combined with local myths, and developed their own
characteristic styles.
The masks are usually highly
exaggerated and formalised, and share an aesthetic with the carved images of monstrous
heads that dominate the facades of href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu">Hindu and href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist">Buddhist temples. These faces
or Kirtimukhas, 'Visages of Glory', are intended to ward off evil
and are associated with the animal world as well as the divine. During ceremonies these
visages are given active form in the great mask dramas of the South and South-eastern
Asian region
In ancient Greece, the use of masks begins
with performances by masked actors. These performances date from the VI Century A.D.
Masks were used to help the actors convey stories and traditions that included feasts in
honor of Dionysius the god of wine and plants.
For the most
part, people tend to associate the use of masks with ancient pagan rituals. One wears a
mask to seek protection from evil spirits during the time that we believe demons are
present.
In the European Christian tradition, the word
"carnaval" has been linked to the idea of "good bye to the flesh", referring to the 40
days of lent. During this time, Christians, in particular, Catholics were prescribed not
to eat meat according to the traditional religious precepts. Therefore, the days
preceding Lent became a period of abandon and indulging. The celebration becomes an
escape to the pressure and to the rigidity of religious
tradition.
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