Cooperative Living October 2020 - 36

Kids'Korner | Story and artwork by Anne M. Dellinger, Contributing Columnist
The
Year of the
L
Mask
ast October, the only mask on your mind was most likely the one you wanted to wear on Halloween
night. It absolutely had to match your costume so that for one special evening, you could be
magically transformed into a super hero, enchanting princess, fierce monster or whatever you wanted
to be. Without that perfect mask, your disguise would not have felt complete.
FAST FORWARD TO OCTOBER 2020
It's that time of year to think about masks again ...
only now there's a whole new urgency about mask
wearing that has nothing to do with Halloween
costumes.
People of all ages are putting on face coverings every
day. These scraps of fabric are not meant to be cute,
spooky or scary ... (although some have brightly colored
themes or symbols).
They are the protective shields that help control
the spread of the coronavirus. Moms, dads, kids and
grandparents aren't wearing these masks for fun ...
they put them on to go to school or to work or to
shop for groceries because it is a safe, sensible and
" MASKING UP " THROUGH THE AGES
Ceremonial Masks celebrate the spirits of
nature by often combining human and animal
features. This is important in African cultures,
where man wishes to unite with his natural
environment.
Burial and Death Masks have memorialized and
preserved deceased individuals in many societies.
The ancient Egyptians put a personalized mask
over a mummy's face or made it part of
the mummy case to protect the dead
from evil spirits.
In Western countries, a plaster
mold of the face was created to save
the features of the departed person
for future generations to appreciate.
Some of these masks were constructed
after death, while others were made while the individual
was alive. Did you know death masks were made of
Beethoven, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benjamin Franklin,
Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson?
Festival Masks continue to play a part in the
harvest celebrations of some Native American tribes
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co-opliving.com
of the Northwest, the Chinese
New Year processions and Mardi
Gras events in New Orleans.
Theatrical Masks are associated with
drama, representing comedy and tragedy.
They were used in ancient Greek performances
to express emotions (anger, love, joy), which
helped the audience follow the action of
the play.
Modern-World Masks are Halloween
favorites because they include some of
the most recognizable images
of literature, music and film.
What characters can you
name that are known for
their famous face coverings?
responsible thing to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just as a whimsical mask enhances the Halloween
costume of an imaginary character, a safety mask, added
to one's daily gear, completes the image of a concerned
citizen ... And that's a real-life personality everybody
should want to imitate this October!
When you slip on your mask, you are supporting
everyone's health and becoming a part of mask history.
Almost since the beginning of time, the mask has been
an important part of mankind's cultural development.
From antiquity to the 21st century, masks have been
covering faces for rituals, observances, entertainment,
disguise and protection.
KIDS! CLIP AND KEEP YOUR KIDS' KORNER COLUMNS IN A THREE-RING BINDER AND YOU'LL HAVE A NOTEBOOK CHOCK FULL OF FUN IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE FUTURE!

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Cooperative Living October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living October 2020