Editing Mask (section)

==Masks in performance==
[[File:Mosaic of the theatrical masks - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|Theatrical masks of Tragedy and Comedy. Mosaic, [[Roman art|Roman mosaic]], second century AD]]
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Batak maskerdans tijdens een dodenfeest TMnr 60045322.jpg|thumb|[[Batak (Indonesia)|Batak]] mask dance at a funeral feast in the [[Dutch East Indies]], 1930s]]

Throughout the world, masks are used for their expressive power as a feature of masked performance – both ritually and in various theatre traditions. The [[ritual]] and [[theatre|theatrical]] definitions of mask use frequently overlap and merge but still provide a useful basis for categorisation. The image of [[Comedy and tragedy masks|juxtaposed comedy and tragedy masks]] are widely used to represent the performing arts, and specifically [[drama]].

In many dramatic traditions including the [[theatre of ancient Greece]], the classical [[noh]] drama of Japan (14th&nbsp;century to present), the traditional [[lhamo]] drama of [[Tibet]], [[talchum]] in Korea, and the [[topeng dance]] of [[Indonesia]], masks were or are typically worn by all the performers, with several different types of mask used for different types of character.

In Ancient Rome, the word ''[[persona]]'' meant 'a mask'; it also referred to an individual who had full [[Roman citizenship]]. A citizen could demonstrate his or her lineage through ''[[Roman funerals and burial#Imagines ("images")|imagines]]'' – [[death mask]]s of ancestors. These were wax casts kept in a ''[[lararium]]'' (the family shrine). Rites of passage, such as initiation of young members of the family or funerals, were carried out at the shrine under the watch of the ancestral masks. At funerals, professional actors would wear these masks to perform deeds of the lives of the ancestors,<ref>{{cite journal | first = Subhash | last = Kak | author-link = Subhash Kak | year = 2004 | title = Ritual, masks, and sacrifice | journal = Studies in Humanities and Social Services | volume = 11 | publisher = Indian Institute of Advanced Study | location = Shimla, India }}</ref> thus linking the role of mask as a ritual object and in theatre.

Masks are a familiar and vivid element in many [[folk culture|folk]] and traditional [[procession|pageants]], [[ceremonies]], [[rituals]], and [[festivals]], and are often of an ancient origin. The mask is normally a part of a costume that adorns the whole body and embodies a tradition important to the religious and/or social life of the [[community]] as whole or a particular group within the community. Masks are used almost universally and maintain their power and mystery both for their wearers and their audience. The continued popularity of wearing masks at [[carnival]], and for children at parties and for festivals such as [[Halloween]] are good examples. Nowadays these are usually mass-produced plastic masks, often associated with popular [[films]], [[TV|television]] programmes, or [[cartoon]] characters – they are, however, reminders of the enduring power of pretense and play and the power and appeal of masks.