TITLE: Fašiangy Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Europe
COUNTRY: Slovakia
SUBREGION: N/A
ETHNICITY: Slovak
DESCRIPTION: Fašiangy Mask
CATALOG ID: N/A
MAKER: N/A
CEREMONY: Fašiangy (Shrovetide)
FUNCTION: Agriculture; Celebration; Entertainment; Protection/Purification
AGE: N/A
MAIN MATERIAL: leather and wool
OTHER MATERIALS: N/A

Slovakia has a traditional masquerade during Fašiangy (Shrovetide), between Three Kings Day (January 6) and Ash Wednesday). The masks are made from wood or leather and used in village processions to ward off evil and bring a bountiful harvest. Characters include the turoň (a bull-like creature representing strength and fertility), medved (the bear, representing prosperity and protection), koza (a goat, symbol of vitality but a prankster), and the Turčianski Vlci (wolves of the Turiec area, which frighten away winter). There are also frequently allegorical characters, such as Death and Winter, the Gypsy, the Chimneysweep, the Soldier, and the Doctor, who perform symbolic or comedic functions. In some cases, men cross-dress as brides or grandmothers, while women cross-dress as soldiers or farmers, to subvert social roles and for comical effect. Generally, the masked rituals culminate on Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) with the burial of a symbolic fish (pochovávanie basy), a mock funeral to signify the end of merriment and beginning of Lenten fasting.

The Museum’s collection currently includes no representative example of any Slovakian mask.