It is impossible to spend any length of time in Sri Lanka without coming across brightly colored masks, often in the windows of shops specialising in gift items for holidaymakers. but while they do make excellent souvenirs for visitors, the masks have a serious and ancient role in Sinhalese folk beliefs.
The so-called Devil Dancers of the south remain a part of Sri Lankan heritage and culture even to this day. The masks are used in thovils, or exorcisms, to rid people of maladies which, according to folk legend, are caused by demons entering the body of the suffer.
The Dancer wears a masks, representing the Demon to be drawn out, and takes part in a highly theatrical performance which gradually builds to a crescendo, at which point the demon is persuaded to accept an alternative sacrifice-most often a few drops of blood from a cock's comb. The entire ceremony, called sanni yakkuma, is used to cure 18 different types of illness-each of which has its own style of mask.
No comments:
Post a Comment