A Little Story about Masks
We Wear The Mask
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,--
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be overwise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,--
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be overwise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
Author, Paul Laurence Dunbar
Carnival or Fasnacht in Basel is about six or seven weeks away. The masks are out and ready to be put on. Many, who masquerade, will be getting ready to be their true selves behind artificial masks. They will take off their flesh and blood masks for a few days, give their faces a rest. What a grand sampling of masks they have to choose from. Many will pre-order their masks. It is a great business for masks makers.
In many cultures, carnival (Fasnacht in Basel, Switzerland where I live) is the time for masquerades and masks. It takes place at different times in different parts of the world—Rio in Brazil, South America, Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, Venice, Italy in Europe). Basel’s Carnival will take place this year between the 11th and 15th of March, for example. Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, will begin on March 5, 2019. Notting Hill Carnival in London, England, takes place in August, and in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, where I am from, it takes place in April.
In Basel, the mask is as important as the costume. The mask allows the participant to act freely under disguise. It is a time to leave your hang-ups behind.
“Those who take part in parades must remain in disguise. while parading; it is considered inappropriate and a breach of protocol to identify oneself by removing the mask, other than during official breaks from the parade. Members of the various Cliques wear costumes that fit a specific theme, except during Morgestreich, which marks the beginning of carnival, and on Fasnacht Tuesday. Costumes and masks commonly represent famous people including politicians, or even comic characters or animals. More traditional masks recall Napoleonic soldiers, harlequins (Harlekin) and the famous Waggis.”
Venice’s carnival is famous for its masks. One of the most important events during the Venice Carnival is the contest for the most beautiful mask (la maschera più bella), which is judged by international costume and fashion designers. There are several different styles of masks that are worn during the Venice Carnival. Usually, people with different occupations and jobs wear a different type of Carnival masks during the festival.
The dictionary defines a mask as a form of disguise. It is an object that is frequently worn over or in front of the face to hide the identity of a person and by its own features to establish another being. This essential characteristic of hiding and revealing personalities or moods is common to all masks. As cultural objects, they have been used throughout the world in all periods since the Stone Age and have been as varied in appearance as in their use and symbolism.
Masks have been worn in nearly all cultures, for various reasons, since the Stone Age. Masks have been worn as a form of disguise, by an actor in a performance, as part of a religious ceremony, as part of membership in a secret society, as punishment for a criminal or in celebration of a holiday.
Egypt
Egyptians used masks as part of their burial ceremony. The masks that were placed upon the face of the deceased often contained spells intended to protect the spirit on its journey into the afterlife. The masks were usually painted with gold and contained precious stones.
Africa
Many of Africa's native cultures used masks as part of their religious ceremonies, as well as part of ceremonial costumes. They often were made to represent the spirits of ancestors or of certain local deities. A dancer wearing the mask was sometimes thought to be possessed by the spirit represented by the mask he wore.
Native American
Native American masks were used for purposes similar to that of the masks in Africa. However, in addition to its spiritual function, the Native American mask was sometimes used for entertainment or for medicinal purposes.
Asia
In Japan, China and other parts of Asia, masks had religious purposes or were part of the traditional theater. Many of the masks were influenced by Buddhist, Hindu and Indian literature, and were inspirations in various Asian art forms including theater.
Caribbean
Haitian masks, for example, are made of wood, metal and papier mache and painted. Haitian culture is known to have ties to Nigerian Yoruba, and people of the Congo and is combined with the influences from the local Taino Indians, (an indigenous Caribbean group), European and from Voodoo ceremonies.
The Theater
The comedy and tragedy masks have come to represent theater. These masks were first developed in ancient Greece and had both an entertainment and religious function. A similar tradition is that of the masked fool; a masked fool of some sort is found throughout many cultures and continents. The masked fool's purpose in the theater was to keep order. The fool kept children from being unruly and distracted the audience from the dressing room or scene changes. In society, the fool questioned the status quo without the repercussions others might have faced.
Shame Masks
In medieval time, a punishment often meted out was that of forcing the criminal to wear a shame mask or brank. The metal masks were worn in public displays and might have included the "swine mask" for a man who had mistreated a woman or the "hood of shame" for a student who had performed poorly. Branks might have been worn by a woman for nagging her husband or gossiping. The brank often included a tongue-depressor with sharp edges that was placed in the mouth to make talking painful.
Halloween Masks
The tradition of Halloween masks and Halloween costumes finds its origins in Celtic culture. Disguises were used to confuse the ghosts that came out on Samhain, a festival at the end of the harvest season. Frightening masks were often used because these were believed to scare away malicious spirits.
We wear our own masks to disguise our true feelings. How often? Too often? Do some wear masks all their lives? That is a tough act to carry out. But sadly, some never take their masks off. Take the mask off, lift the weight off, free yourself once in a while.
Althea Romeo-Mark 26.01.19
Notes:
Paul Lawrence Dunbar- Born on June 27, 1872, Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the first African American poets to gain national recognition. His parents Joshua and Matilda Murphy Dunbar were freed slaves from Kentucky. His parents separated shortly after his birth, but Dunbar would draw on their stories of plantation life throughout his writing career. By the age of fourteen, Dunbar had poems published in the Dayton Herald. While in high school he edited the Dayton Tattler, a short-lived black newspaper published by classmate Orville Wright. Read more about him.
Cliques- groups who march through the town in Basel while playing drums and small flutes.
https://www.planeteu.com/events/carnival-venice/
http://www.anymask.com/historyofmask.html
https://masksoftheworld.com/haitian-masks-of-wood-metal/
others might have faced.
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