I recently took a trip to New Orleans and was, of course, driven partly to carry alcohol in an open container and partly to learn about, and acquire, traditional New Orleans masks.
Now there are masks everywhere in The Big Easy. Every gas station, pharmacy and tourist trap shop within a 5 mile radius of Bourbon Street and the French Quarter stocks a variety of plastic Mardi Gras masks that were probably made in China. Some of them are actually quite pretty, but what struck me the most is that these masks are intended to be worn. There are not many modern cultures that I can think of (outside of Halloween festivals) where mask wearing is so commonplace. Sure, that culture is mainly a tourist or festival culture, but wonderful for a mask enthusiast nonetheless. Continued…