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Venetian mask - Gatto
The first reason for the multitude of cats in Venice in the past centuries was due to the invasion of rats in the city.

Carriers with various diseases had arrived from the ships to the port, and they reproduced with such a speed that Venice was invaded by them in a short period of time. The poor hygienic condition in which  the Venetian inhabitants lived was breeding grounds for the  rats.
the plague epidemic of  1500 caused by rats, led to the deaths of nearly 1/3 of the population.

Towards the end of 1400 the Venetians found a simple and ingenious way to dramatically decrease the invasion.

They shipped loads of cats from Dalmatia, who had no choice but to hunt mice and doze in the sun.

That’s why among the various Venetian masks are also the cat, an animal that has been helpful to Venice for many centuries.

http://www.maskerelle.it/en/origine-della-maschera-veneziana-del-gatto/

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The Giant MaskThe giant mask is used in La Danza del Gigante in Chiapas at Carnival. The dance represents the story of David and Goliath. Goliath, who carries a wooden machete, repeatedly charges the audience and frightens the children.

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The Giant MaskThe giant mask is used in La Danza del Gigante in Chiapas at Carnival. The dance represents the story of David and Goliath. Goliath, who carries a wooden machete, repeatedly charges the audience and frightens the children.

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Gatto

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Chinese Masks
Dragon masks in China

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Venetian masks have a long history of protecting their wearer's identity during promiscuous or  decadent activities. Made for centuries in Venice, these distinctive masks were formed from  paper-mache and wildly decorated with fur, fabric, gems, or feathers. Eventually, Venetian  masks re-emerged as the emblem of Carnevale (Venetian Carnival), a pageant and street fair  celebrating hedonism.
Venetian masks have been worn in Venice, Italy, since antiquity.
Unlike the vast majority of their counterparts in contemporary European nations, each citizen in  Venice enjoyed a high standard of living. Everyone was part of the great economic machine that  was the Republic. Venice was capitalizing on its position, on its gains, long before its  contemporaries had realized the value of a market economy. With a level of social wealth unequaled since, the citizens of Venice developed a unique culture—one in which the concealing of the identity in daily life became paramount to daily activity. Part of the secrecy was pragmatic: there were things to do, people to see, and perhaps you might not want others to know what deals you were cutting. After all, the city is relatively small

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The Moors and Christians Dance Masks
This dance was brought to Mexico by the Spaniards and it represents the battle between the Moors and the Spaniards at the end of the 15th century, and the subsequent expulsion of the Moors from Spain; its main character is Saint James.

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Mexican - Aztec mask

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Indian Masks

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http://www.worldoftales.com/European_folktales/Italian_folktale_11.html

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Mexican masks

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(Mizuki)

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Venetian masks. The Death Plague Mask. This mask was used by the bubonic plague doctors to treat patients of the fatal disease. This was worn during the epidemic that caused the death of three fourth of europe's population. The beak was stuffed with spices so that the doctors do not inhale the dirty outside air, be cause they thought that melisma caused the disease.

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Venetian mask
Venetian masks are a centuries-old tradition of Venice, Italy. The masks are typically worn during the Carnival (Carnival of Venice), but have been used on many other occasions in the past, usually as a device for hiding the wearer's identity and social status. The mask would permit the wearer to act more freely in cases where he or she wanted to interact with other members of the society outside the bounds of identity and everyday convention. It was useful for a variety of purposes, some of them illicit or criminal, others just personal, such as romantic encounters.
Venetian masks are characterised by their ornate design, featuring bright colours such as gold or silver and the use of complex decorations in the baroque style. Many designs of Venetian masks stem from Commedia dell'arte. They can be full-face masks (e.g. the bauta) or eye masks (e.g. the Columbina).

History
Near the end of the Republic, the wearing of masks in daily life was severely restricted. By the 18th century, it was limited only to about three months from December 26. The masks were traditionally worn with decorative beads matching in colour.
Types of masks
Bauta (sometimes referred as baùtta) is a mask which covers the whole face, this was a traditional piece of art, with a stubborn chin line, no mouth, and lots of gilding. The mask has a square jaw line often pointed and tilted upwards to enable the wearer to talk, eat and drink easily without having to remove the mask thereby preserving their anonymity. The Bauta was often accompanied by a red cape and a tricorn.
In 18th century, the Bauta had become a standardized society mask and disguise regulated by the Venetian government.[  It was obligatory to wear it at certain political decision-making events when all citizens were required to act anonymously as peers. Only citizens had the right to use the Bauta. Its role was similar to the anonymizing processes invented to guarantee general, direct, free, equal and secret ballots in modern democracies.
It was not allowed to wear weapons along with the mask, and police had the right to enforce

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Animal Masks for the Morenos Dance
La Danza de los Morenos is a dance from Suchitlan Colima performed on Easter, in the Santa Cruz Day on May 3 and on Pentecost.
18 dancers called Los Morenos (the dark-skinned) wearing masks of cats, dogs, goats, coyotes, donkeys, rosters and macaws dance in couples to distract the Roman soldiers that guard Jesus tomb. The object of this dance is to get into Jesus tomb and bring him back to life.

Mouse

The patron saintcolored face with black hair. Saint th a bigger mask with a crown.

Saint James Mask
The Conquest Dance Masks
The Conquest Dance is a representation of the Spanish conquest over the native cultures. This dance is held in Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz, Nayarit and Jalisco during different celebrations.
The main characters in the Conquistadores faction are Hernan Cortes and La Malinche and on the Mexican side are Cuauhtemoc and a Jaguar Warrior among others. Each character wears a suitable mask.

Malinche Mask

The Pharisees Mask
These masks are used during the Holy Week representing the Pharisees; usually made by the participants with cloths, papier mache or wood; they can be made like animals or humans and represent evil. After the Holy Week celebrations are over the masks are burnt which symbolizes evil's defeat.
Pharisee Mask

Decorative Mexican Masks
The main difference between decorative Mexican masks and traditional Mexican masks is that the first ones are not made to be worn and many of them cannot be used as a mask; they are made as a decorative object.
Some of the decorative masks are adaptations of traditional masks like the wooden devils and jaguars made in Guerrero and Michoacan.

Other decorative masks designs have been adapted to the buyers' taste which doesn't mean they are not truthful representations of the mask maker culture.

Among the most popular decorative Mexican masks are:

Angel Masks
The angel motif is taken from the baroque putto. The putto is a figure of a baby or toddler, often naked and having wings. These figurines were used as decorations in churches all around colonial Mexico. The masks are made in Guerrero State.
Angel Mask

Human Face Masks
The human mask faces are usually made to resemble a Conquistador or a Pre-Hispanic warrior or King; they are made of wood in different sizes.
Old Man Mask

Animal Face Masks
These masks are made in Guerrero and Michoacan and often represent a human face with animal features or a combination of an animal body and human face. These masks usually have no meaning and are made to impress the possible buyer.
Grasshopper Mask

Coconut Masks
Whimsical, colorful purely decorative masks made to please the eyes of the possible buyers in Guerrero State. Coconut Masks popular motifs are sun faces, mermaids and animal faces.
Coconut Mask

Decorative Mexican Masks Hand-Crafting Centers
While traditional Mexican masks are made everywhere they are used, decorative mask making has developed in few communities. Nowadays the most recognized hand-crafting communities in the country are:

San Francisco Ozomatlan, Guerrero
A Nahuatl community in the Mezcala region located on the Balsas River basin with 1300 inhabitants, San Francisco Ozomatlán is known for its wooden masks. Most of the families in the village carve masks as a side job being farming their main livelihood.
Devils, angels, human faces and animal masks are carved from the Tzompamitl tree. The very soft wood is sanded until smooth and decorated with acrylic paintings. Men carve and paint the mask while women give it the finishing touches.

Among the many mask makers in the community Victor Castro has been recognized for his fine and detailed work and has been invited to exhibitions around the country. Besides from masks he also carves angels and shrines for local churches.

Devil Mask

Tocuaro, Michoacan
Tocuaro is a small town located in the Patzcuaro lake side. Wooden devils, animals, human faces and a combination of all the mentioned subjects painted with bright colors are characteristic to the community where many families hand craft masks.
The masks are carved out of copal, avocado and jacaranda wood and are painted with automotive enamel paintings and once finished lacquered with an acrylic lacquer.

Juan Horta Castillo who passed away in 2006 was one of the most recognized mask makers in Tocuaro and in the whole country. Juan carved and painted with great skills wonderful and vibrant masks that expressed not only his cultural background but his creativity and imagination.

Awarded and recognized both in Mexico and abroad; some of his masks are part of the Mexican Masks Museum collection located in San Luis Potosi. His sons Manuel and Modesto keep on with the family workshop.

Felipe Horta Castillo, Juan's brother and his sons Gustavo and Felipe Horta Tera are also recognized for their excellent masks.

Heremit Mask

Suchitlan, Colima
Suchitlan is a village with strong dancing traditions that have been preserved and enlarged thanks to the dedication of mask maker and choreographer Herminio Candelario Dolores.
Herminio was the son of Basilio Dolores one of the town's mask makers and from him he learned the craft but most important the dances, their choreography and costumes.

He continued with his father work and dedicated his young years to investigate and study the region different dances. He became such an expert that the National Folkloric Ballet consulted him about Colima's dances and how to represent them.

Herminio Candelario was in charge of every dance that was performed in his town; he selected the dancers, created the costumes and the masks and taught the cartographies.

As a decorative mask maker Herminio was recognized internationally and his pieces were sought after by collectors from around the world. He was specially known for his colorful wooden animal faces based on the Morenos dance.

He passed away in 2010 but his sons Gorgonio and Guadalupe Candelario Castro are in following his steps making decorative masks and organizing Suchitlan traditional dances.

Owl Mask

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MEXICAN MASKS!!!!

Modern Mexican masks can be grouped in two categories: traditional masks used in celebration and ceremonial dances and decorative masks made for aesthetic purposes and usually bought by collectors or foreign tourists.

Most masks are wooden although clay, stone and papier mache are also used to make them. The masks are mostly used and made in places where there is indigenous population, especially in the south of Mexico.

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Venetian masks are a centuries-old tradition of Venice, Italy. The masks are typically worn during the Carnival (Carnival of Venice), but have been used on many other occasions in the past, usually as a device for hiding the wearer's identity and social status. The mask would permit the wearer to act more freely in cases where he or she wanted to interact with other members of the society outside the bounds of identity and everyday convention. It was useful for a variety of purposes, some of them illicit or criminal, others just personal, such as romantic encounters.
Venetian masks are characterised by their ornate design, featuring bright colours such as gold or silver and the use of complex decorations in the baroque style. Many designs of Venetian masks stem from Commedia dell'arte. They can be full-face masks (e.g. the bauta) or eye masks (e.g. the Columbina).

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Venetian masks are a centuries-old tradition of Venice, Italy. The masks are typically worn during the Carnival (Carnival of Venice), but have been used on many other occasions in the past, usually as a device for hiding the wearer's identity and social status. The mask would permit the wearer to act more freely in cases where he or she wanted to interact with other members of the society outside the bounds of identity and everyday convention. It was useful for a variety of purposes, some of them illicit or criminal, others just personal, such as romantic encounters.
Venetian masks are characterised by their ornate design, featuring bright colours such as gold or silver and the use of complex https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSgKcBgYdbpp9wUwjttocIxbHifz9X-XZ1HXD2NKSOnR8AutjmpduW3bxa Venetian masks are a centuries-old tradition of Venice, Italy. The masks are typically worn during the Carnival (Carnival of Venice), but have been used on many other occasions in the past, usually as a device for hiding the wearer's identity and social status.

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A mask based folk theater from Kashmir- India.
Artist - M.K Raina

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Students to use the Internet resources to create independent research a type of masks and a story that can be performed in a masked drama.

Students should research from any one of this selected cultural region from the world;

1. China

2. Mexico

3. India

4. Africa

5. Venetian

Make your notes here on this Padlet with your name on top.

Add an image of the mask you select for reference and jot down your story here.

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After the Spanish conquest masks were used to catechize the native population through dramatic representations of Christian stories. collectors began ordering masks that were especially made for them which started the decoration masks making. Originally based on traditional masks, designs soon evolved thanks to the buyers' feedback and the crafters creativity.