We wear masks for many reasons: for fun, for protection, or to make a statement. In turbulent public settings, obscuring one’s face can protect an individual from retaliation while evoking fear and uncertainty in others. Donning the masks of cultural, political, or religious figures can ridicule them, or lend them power and further their legacy. Those who wear masks to protect their face from environmental hazards might also end up sending a message of caution to observers. In many cases, though, masks play a more lighthearted role, allowing the wearer to take part in a festival and become someone (or something) else for a time.
By Alan Taylor
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