Mask Makers Web

Dancing giants are an ancient tradition and can be found in many parts of the world. In Europe they are found especially in Catalonia, Flanders and Navarre, where they are a prominent feature of traditional, civic and religious celebrations. In Britain most were destroyed in the reformation, or the Puritan era, but Christopher, Salisbury's traditional giant, can still be seen in the city's museum. The visit of a replica of Christopher to Dorchester in June 1987 occasioned the birth of Lilbet Large, the first of the modern Dorchester Giants.

Added on: Nov 08, 2002 | Hits: 8053

Sanni mask Kolam . Raksha mask

Added on: Sep 16, 2002 | Hits: 8051

Dates: 1930s - 1980s. Material: Painted wood, goat hair Catalog No.: From top: 81-29-21 by Saturnino Valenzuela, 1981, 80-67-13 by Alcario Buitimea, 1980, 78-53-27 by Candelario Verdugo Yocupicio, 1978, These small, distinctive wooden face masks are worn by Mayo pahkora dancers who live in the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa. They add color and drama to the various fiestas performed by the Mayo Indians.

Added on: Mar 30, 2003 | Hits: 8051

The large size of the theater (in its final form it seated 20,000 people) and the distance of even the nearest spectators from the performers (more than 10 meters) dictated a non-naturalistic approach to acting. All gestures had to be large and definite so as to 'read' from the back rows. Facial expression would have been invisible to all but the closest members of the audience; the masks worn by the actors looked more 'natural' than bare faces in the TDA. The masks of tragedy were of an ordinary, face-fitting size, with wigs attach and open mouths to allow clear speech. Contrary to some later theories, there were no 'megaphones' in the masks, and their decoration and expression was quite subtle, as vase paintings from the 5th and 4th centuries demonstrate.

Added on: Jun 13, 2002 | Hits: 8044

Kasan Okwangdae was designated as Important Intangible Cultral Property No. 73 in 1980. This consists of 6 acts unlike other Okwangdae. Kasan masks is made of strawboard, Hanji(i.e. Korean traditional paper), gourds, and bamboo baskets. They consist of 23 kinds and 28 pieces of masks, and some of them are used in two or more roles.

Added on: Nov 17, 2002 | Hits: 8028

(In italian ) Nice site about the carneval and masktraditions of the provins Messina, italy

Added on: Feb 01, 2001 | Hits: 8019

le g?ant s?est lev? pour annoncer sa premi?re sortie officielle : le dimanche 2 septembre 1956 ? 15 heures.

Added on: Nov 18, 2002 | Hits: 8018

By Michael Hice Sacred clowns, commonly known as koshares paiyakyamu in Hopi. While most visitors observe them as buffoons, relegating them to mere foolishness is a tragic misjudgment of the sacred clown?s importance in Native American societies. Nowhere is the role of the jokester more developed than in the sacred clown among the Pueblo cultures of New Mexico. Though aspects, including the name, vary from pueblo to pueblo, surprising similarities exist among these sacred personas of the pueblos along the northern Rio Grande River and Laguna and Zuni Pueblos to the west.

Added on: May 20, 2002 | Hits: 8014

Efter kristendommens indf?relse er maskens form?l reduceret til blot at skr?mme b?rn, n?r de tr?ngte til at blive sat lidt p? plads og senere endnu som rene turistobjekter. Hvor de gamle masker kunne udtrykke begge k?n i samme maske, fremstilles masker nu ofte som par.

Added on: Jul 07, 2002 | Hits: 8002

Many beautiful masks displayed here: "Over the centuries, the many ethnic groups that populate the Himalayas have produced a myriad of fascinating masks. presented together, they evoke the spirit of the ancient cultures of this region of the world. While the classical art of the Himalayas (bronze, wood, and stone sculptures as well as murals and paintings on cloth) has been acquired by western museums and is recoqnized for its quality and richness through publications, the art of the Himalayan mask is just beginning to be discovered." Eric Chazot, 1990.

Added on: Aug 30, 2002 | Hits: 7978

Masks for Kolam mask dance drama. A tourist site.

Added on: Aug 10, 2002 | Hits: 7944

These are marble and stone depictions of Greek masks. The originals were made from leather.An actor contemplates his mask. Note the color and appearance of a wig. Depiction of life backstage

Added on: Jun 10, 2002 | Hits: 7936

She was created in 1987 when we who were to become the Dorchester Giants Group, invited two giants to star at a fun-day at Salisbury Fields in Dorchester. We invited Gogmagog from London and Christopher II from Salisbury. Clearly we needed a hostess; Lilbet. As it turned out the fun day was very nearly a disaster, gales blew all day, lots of equipment was damaged, Gogmagog did not parade and Christopher II fell over. Lilbet just survived, returning from her first outing in some distress, but only one piece.

Added on: Nov 08, 2002 | Hits: 7926

German site

Added on: Jul 28, 2002 | Hits: 7925

Emnearbejde fra Vokslev friskole Gr?nlandske masker kendes hovedsageligt fra ?stgr?nland i et omfang som g?r, at der her er tale om en egentlig maskekultur. Der findes kun f? eksempler p? masker fra Vestgr?nland og her er det kunstneriske udtryk et helt andet.

Added on: Jul 07, 2002 | Hits: 7920

Many foreigners in Greece seem to think they invented the drunken, riotous celebration, forgetting that Greece is the home of Dionysus, the god of wine. A trip to more "Greek" areas shows that his legacy is in no danger of dying out. At country fairs and patron saint festivals, piety is mixed with pleasure in rituals that descend pre-Christian days, when gods were honored with feasting, dancing and orgies (even today, Greek villages typically experience mini baby booms nine months after a big feast day!). These festivals are great occasions to find villages with their tourist traps disarmed, ready to welcome visitors into the infectious celebrations. Wine and beans are doled out, bandstands are set up in front of churches and the old ways come alive through music, dancing and other rituals. Many of these festivals take place at the very ruins where the original rituals began; what better way to experience the culture and the architecture than at an out of control festival!

Added on: Aug 28, 2002 | Hits: 7911

Spanish tradition. site in Spanish

Added on: Jun 03, 2002 | Hits: 7903

Make-ups or masks of Beijing Opera let guess the personality of characters of the play. When they are joined as in this set to accessories symbolising the different pieces of the repertory, they make the identification even more obvious. Look how the cutting and the painting is marvellous in these big size paper-cuts.

Added on: Oct 10, 2002 | Hits: 7899

Good site. Among info here: Beautiful series of 15 photos describing traditions.

Added on: Sep 15, 2002 | Hits: 7893

Dragon dances are the most spectacular dances performed at New year. Chinese consider dragons to be friendly and helpful creatures associated with strength, good fortune, wisdom and longevity. These creatures inhabit every body of water as well as rain and are linked to the Pearl of Knowledge. The longer the dragon, the more luck it will bring to the community. As a result, communities strive to have very long dragons dancing during the New Year. Some dragons are so long that they require twenty or thirty people to hold up the tail!

Added on: Oct 17, 2002 | Hits: 7889

Julius Caesar seems to have been the first to report meeting Giants in Britain; See De Bello Gallico - Liber VI, C XVI J. A. Thwaites translates his words thus: "They (the British) enclose their victims in wickers of osier and burn them at the tops of giant men." Who were the giant men in question? well, there is some doubt, they might have been great hill-figures like the Cerne Giant or the Long Man of Wilmington, they may alternatively have been some sort of sacrificial green man, or they might have been... Oh well, speculation is useless, but that Albion was indeed the land of Giants, is confirmed. 'Dancing', or 'Pageant' Giants were recorded in Europe by the 14th century. One of the first known in Britain; Christopher the Salisbury Giant; still survives. Once the Giant of the Tailors' Guild, he stands in the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, his exact age is unknown, but there exists a repair bill dated 1570.

Added on: Nov 08, 2002 | Hits: 7875

Grimacing and terrifying or quiet and seducing faces, Beijing opera masks can be very different. This collection is exceptional by the use of plain and void it makes and by aesthetic qualities it shows.

Added on: Oct 10, 2002 | Hits: 7849

The dragon dance was started by the Chinese who had shown great belief and respect towards the dragon. It is an important item of the Chinese Culture and tradition. Dragon Dance has spread throughout China and to the whole world. It becomes a special performance of arts in the Chinese physical activities. It symbolises the bringing of good luck and prosperity in the year to come for all the human beings on earth. According to ancient history, during the period of Chun Chiu, the learning of Chinese Martial Arts was very popular and in the spare time, dragon dance was also being taught to students to provide more encouragement.

Added on: Oct 17, 2002 | Hits: 7830

Originally part of a large helmet, this detached face mask was part of the armor worn by soldiers in the Roman cavalry. The face may represent Aphrodite, Artemis, or even an effeminate Apollo, since the generalized features make any precise identification difficult........

Added on: Oct 07, 2002 | Hits: 7692