Europe Masks may be traced lower back over numerous centuries. Our historic travels mag ancestors appeared to know the strength of cover even earlier than written history. These traditions and hyperlinks to shamanism could probably pre date all our understanding of recorded records. Masks of 1 form or some other can be observed in our 3 most powerful ancient cultural instances and areas, Egypt, Greece and Rome
To get admission to a number of our earliest European masks we need to go to France. In France, at Trois Freres, the caves inhabited with the aid of Paleolithic human beings have looking scenes painted on the partitions displaying masked dancers. The are believed to be as a minimum 25,000 years old. The significant parent of one of the scenes indicates a shaman like individual wearing the pinnacle and antlers of a stag in among the reindeer, bison, stag, horse and ibex. The hyperlink to masquerade traditions of today may be made thru the use of horns, fur, feathers and the animal bureaucracy followed.
In Greece the cult of Dionysius used mask to symbolize the spirits of nature and bestow those spirits upon the wearers. Gold sepulchral mask protecting the faces of the dead had been excavated in Mycenae. In Greek theatre actors used mask to reveal special characters. This subculture changed into carried on inside the Roman theatre. In medieval mystery performs masks had been used to painting characters. Devil and other masks had been used in carnivals, as they are today in Spain, France Italy and different international locations.
In Britain there are traditional animal Masquerades which use diverse types of the hobby horse as a focal point. These are to be visible in Lands End, Bwca Lwyd in Wales, Thanet in Kent and between thirtieth April and third May in Minehead in Somerset. Some of these festivals are connected to Morris dances. The Morris dance, in some variations, has a an animal-masked fool who entertains the spectators with hints. The ghost like Mari Lwyd in Glamorganshire is in stark evaluation to the opposite brightly coloured traditions. This ghostly interest horse has been linked to the Irish horse of the dinner party of Samain where the historical Celtic pageant is led through a white robed guy bearing a crude horses head.
An unusual event is the Horn Dance of Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire. Six pairs of dancers every bring a timber deers head with a pair of antlers attached. A hobby horse and different characters assist them.