The History of the Venetian Masks

When I was walking through the streets of Venice, I was so curious to know why all of the masks? When we first got to Venice, we had lunch at a small ristorante.  The man that was our waitor explained the meaning and the history behind these masks.  But I wanted to explain what he told us and show you the pictures I took of these amazing masks!!

THE HISTORY BEHIND THE MASKS

The first date of the Mask celebration was in 1268! As Venice grew to be a popular tourist spot in Italy, the masks grew as major social figures.  They were used for hiding identity! Also, there were many social parties and celebrations in Venice and there were also a number of homosexuals at this time and people looked down on them.  But, if they wore a mask, they could hide their identity. It was quite interesting! Now, these masks are everywhere in Venice :)

Here are some neat masks I saw, while walking the streets of Venice.  Also here is a website that I looked at for information and research.  CHECK IT OUT!

http://touritaly.org/tours/venice/venice07.htm