Masquerade ceremony

Items found include modeled skulls, gypsum, beads of wood, textiles, flint, basketry, bone, anthropomorphic, and zoomorphic figurines.

Most masks from that era were made of less durable materials like wood, fibers, textiles, and feathers.

Archaeologists have also recovered cave marking depictions that show cranes with human legs but other birds anatomically correct.

The Code Noir in French colonies forbid all non-Catholic religions and required free and enslaved people to convert to Catholicism.

As an act of resistance and to outsmart their enslavers, Africans syncretized their masking culture with European parading traditions.

[5][6][7] Multiple cultures and religions throughout history have used masks as an important staple of their ceremonies or rites.

These spirits are held in high regard and the Dogon offer blood sacrifices to prevent reprisal when these materials are used to make masks.

They depict antelopes, hunters, ostrich, hornbills, and some carry a "double cross" representing the hands of god.

It's celebrated with close family, involving the decorating of their tombs with photos, flowers, and offerings such as food, liquor, and cigars.

[12] People dress with make-up, costumes, and animal masks used to symbolize the nine levels of the underworld, known in Mexico as Mictlan.

The celebration of Carnival allows the people of Brazil to freely express themselves through all kinds of costumes, representing anything from their aspirations to fantasies.