Sunday, March 6, 2011

A Masquerade Party

A masquerade is a fancy-dress party or dance, at which people wear masks, in order to disguise themselves. masquerade balls have been popular for hundreds of years, but especially in France and England about three hundred years ago. The masks were actually used, for a type of game, "Guess Who I Am". The Mardi Gras, a celebration held each year in New Orleans on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins, is a religious festival. The people that celebrate this occasion, wear masquerade masks and traditionally, remove them at midnight.

An ordinary mask, that you can usually buy, at a dollar store can easily be made into a masquerade mask. Just reinforce the part that holds the mask onto your face, using a Velcro strap or a sturdy ribbon. Decorate by using feathers, beads, ribbon, sequin, etc. Use a glue gun to attach, wherever you want.

Halloween masks are perfect for this project, also. You can usually buy them, marked down, right after Halloween. Get several and paint or decorate them, however you would like. These make great gifts, especially at children's Birthday parties.

Construction paper is another way, to make a masquerade mask. Draw the desired design that you want your mask to be and cut it out, then have the children decorate with silk or satin fabrics in a variety of colors, netting, sparkle tulle, and/or other decorative fabrics, feathers, glitter, etc. You can make holes in each side, for the ribbon or Velcro. Glue a chopstick, just to the inside of the right eye.

The most popular masquerade masks, are the colorful, feathered ones. These masks can be made, by getting an ordinary, plain colored mask. The feathers can be bought from a craft store. Glue the feathers to the mask, overlapping, till you get the affect you are looking for.




Veronica Vrooman loves to wear masquerade masks. She also has a venetian masquerade mask that she picked up when she went to Italy, which she adores.

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