Funny Tibetan Masks

This local shop displays many masks which are originally used for performing Tibetan religious dances all around Tibet by monks. The above ones are hand prayer wheels which almost all the Tibetans carry in their hand while they circulate around temples and monasteries.

As we know, Barkhor in the old city of Lhasa is the most famous commerical street in Lhasa. It is also the best place for travelers to do shopping during their Lhasa tour. In the street, you can easily find a shop like the above selling religious articles. I am pretty sure that most people will be attracted by the masks with different funny expressions, happiness, anger, grief, joy, etc.

It is said that these masks originated from the 7^th century when dance with masks to act as lions, tigers, yaks and leopards appeared as a traditional program for grand ceremonies.

Tibetan masks are famous for their unique style, diversity of shapes and characteristically simple, unsophisticated and primeval beauty Thus, the art of the masks forms an essential part of traditional Tibetan culture. It is the art for Tibetan people to express their aesthetic perspective, and the truth, kindness, beauty and ugliness in their lives.  

Different colors of masks also have different meanings for Tibetan people. If you travel to Tibet, you are highly recommended to watch a Tibetan opera performance. You will have a clear idea about the different meanings of the various colors immedately. For example, white masks represent mildness, kindness and benevolence; yellow masks represent boundless beneficence and profound knowledge; red masks suggest splendid achievements. Different colored masks symbolize different meanings and their use has strengthened the impact of characters in operas and enhances and audience enjoyment of performances.

In terms of the functions of these masks, they can be classified into religious type and folk type. The former type is usually used for performance on religious festivals in Tibet, such as the well-known Saga Dawa Festival. On the festival, monks wear different masks to dance in monasteries. Tibetan Buddhists believe that religious masks symbolize gods and spirits, so they especially emphasize solemnity and constancy in the making of masks.  

The latter type is used in folk singing and dancing performances, operas as well as story telling and ballad singing activities. This type of mask emphasizes the entertainment function, thus it is free from design restrictions.