Hello and welcome to Mardi Gras!
Wearing masks bearing images of skeletons and Christian icons is a vital part of Mardi Gras in the city of New Orleans
This is a time when individuals hide behind masks to play out the final moments of fun and to bid farewell to the flesh before the penitence of Lent begins.
Masks have always possessed a certain air of mystery that has fascinated people for centuries. According to legend, masks were worn by ancient Greek actors in honor of Dionysus, god of theater and were quite large. Because the structures used to represent the plays were so colossal, masks bore exaggerated expressions in order to convey various emotions.
The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are purple symbolic of justice, green symbolic of faith and gold symbolic of power and are used to decorate carnival masks.
2 comments:
Happy Mardi Gras Sharon and Oliver.
What a fascinating article, Sharon, those masks sound so colourful, I'd love to go to a Mardi Gras parade, we don't have them over here in the UK. (For Shrove Tuesday we do have pancakes for tea, and pancake races though!)
Happy latte Mardi Gras, Sharon! I was thinking of you that day, while I stayed home and thought about how to put my masks on the wall above the piano. Haven't done it yet---still thinking . . . .
Julie
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