Ancient Masks of Sardinia

[Kalimtari]

I know, i remember there is a discussion in another thread where are shown the similarities between sardinian and slovenian and other european masks. In many cases also the meaning and the origin of these masks is the same.

maybe they're even older than Indo-Europeans in europe, could be a remnant of prehistoric Megalithic cultures

[Kalimtari]

Germany:

[askra]

It's a traditional mask from the town of Laconi (province of Cagliari).


These masks are exhibited the 16th January during the feast of "Sant'Antoni e' Su Fogu" (the feast of Saint Antony and the Fire), an ancient pagan ritual assimilated by the christianity, and also during the Mardi Gras.


The mask has a cylindrical shape and it's made in cork and wool, it has a big nose, crooked teeth and goat horns. The coronagianus wear velvet trousers and a coat of black or white sheep wool called "sa estia 'e pedde", and they hold 15 rattles.

[askra]

The carnival costume of the Mamuthone is one of the island’s most famous masks and represents a thousand-year-old tradition.


The Mamuthone is covered in a sheepskin and wears a dark wooden mask bearing an imperturbable and fascinating expression. He is weighed down by numerous cowbells on his back which often exceed 30kg.


The Mamuthones make their way through the streets in single file, occasionally jumping in rhythm so their cowbells ring out in an unmistakable and intriguing sound. They are led in procession by the Issohadores, who use long ropes made from rushes to command them. Without the weight of the cowbells the Issohadores are more agile than their prisoners but they accompany them in their slow rhythmical progression through the town.

[askra]

The Issohadores are masks from Mamoiada like the previous shown too, they parad together the Mamuthones. The Issohadores typically don white masks, they represent the human beings and their rationality, conversely the Mamuthones wearing fur and black and scary masks represent the instinct, but also the evil (the enemies that came from the sea and harassed sardinian people in the past, the pestilences and the famines). The Issohadores use their lassoes to trap the mamuthones but often also pretty girls in the crowd while out parading. The Issohadores are present to both create a path for and to guide the Mamuthones through the crowd.

[askra]

These are the traditional carnival masks from the town of Sinnai (province of Cagliari), they evoke the deer hunting.

These masks have pre-roman/pagan origins as great part of traditional sardinian masks.

The Cerbus' mask is realised with the fur and horns of the Sardinian Deer, subspecies of the Red Deer, found only in Sardinia and Corsica, faces of participants are dyed in black, with cork ash.

[Wild North]

Amazing.

[Maximum Speed]

There is a zombie movie where the hero is a sardinian traditional mask Mamuthone:

Ischidados:

[Virtuous]

That's some really cool folklore.

[Empecinado]

Lol, are very similar to the mask used in some Spanish festivals.

Bielsa (Aragon)





La Fresneda (Aragon):



Mumutzurru (Basque country)