Object worn either to disguise or protect the face or to project
the image of another personality or being. Masks have been used
in art and religion since the Stone Age. In most primitive
societies, their form is dictated by tradition, and they are
thought to have supernatural power. Death masks, associated with
the return of the spirit to the body, were used in ancient
Egypt, Asia, and the Inca civilization, and were sometimes kept
as portraits of the dead. Masks worn on holidays such as
Halloween and Mardi Gras signal festivity and license. They have
also been widely used in the theater, beginning with the Greek
drama and continuing through medieval mystery plays, and the
Italian commedia dell'arte, as well as in other theater
traditions (e.g., Japanese No drama).