Masks in Their Old and New Roles

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Masks have been around since the ancient times. Ancient theatre was greatly dependent on them. The now famous image of two Masks, one joyful and the other sorrowful, was once the symbol of ancient Greek theatre, back in the times of playwrights like Sophocles and Euripides. In those times, Masks were used to differentiate the good from the evil, the hero from the villain. However, as time went on, masks moved away from the stage. Later, playwrights such as Brecht and Cocteau did make use of masks on stage. Yet, masks had by now moved away from the world of performances and had begun to make inroads into ordinary life.

Today, masks have taken on a whole new role. Nowadays, they are used entirely for entertainment. Birthday parties for young children are no longer complete without the whistles, the party hats, and the many kinds of masks. And even adults are not left far behind when it comes to masks. People wear masks at costume parties, particularly around Halloween, and move around pretending to be someone they are not. Masks provide us the opportunity to move around the world incognito. Even though we are aware that we will have to go back to being ourselves the moment the party is over, there is great joy in temporarily being somebody else.

Perhaps that is the reason why Halloween has become one of the most popular events in the calendar year as far as adults are concerned. People today are very keen to make a splash at the next Halloween party. As a result, they start planning their gory and gruesome costumes several months in advance. Costume shops start stocking the outfits from even before that. And which costumes seem to be in greatest demand? Scary clowns, vampires, and zombies top the list.

Of course, costumes are only one aspect of the Halloween party drama. One cannot forget about the masks. These days, the emphasis is on finding a realistic Halloween mask -- no longer a difficult task. This is because the masks of today are being crafted out of silicon. As a result today's silicon Halloween masks are a lot more lifelike. For instance, the zombie Halloween masks that are available these days appear a lot more gruesome. The flesh appears real, and the fake blood looks much less fake. Masks have come a long way since their days on the stage. If anything, in their new incarnation, they have gained in popularity.

Be a hit at Halloween parties with silicon Halloween masks and zombie Halloween masks. Nothing goes better than a realistic Halloween mask.