the.com/masquerade
a license to be everyone except yourself, granted by half an inch of papier-mâché.
means A masquerade is a costumed gathering or masked ball where identities are hidden behind disguises, or more broadly any false outward show meant to conceal what's really going on.
from From the Italian 'maschera' (mask), which traveled into French as 'mascarade' and on into English. The deeper root of 'mask' itself is tangled and debated — possibly tied to Arabic 'maskhara' (a buffoon or object of ridicule), possibly to a Late Latin 'masca' meaning something like a spectre or witch. Either way the thread runs back to faces that aren't the face you were born with.
- venice peak
- 18th-century carnival masking lasted nearly six months yearly
- class blender
- masks let nobles and servants mingle anonymously
- banned often
- governments outlawed them, fearing crime and conspiracy
- plot device
- Romeo met Juliet at a masked ball
- word root
- derives from Arabic maskhara, meaning buffoon or jest
venetian carnival — annual festival in venice, italy dating to 12th century with masked balls and parades
masquerade ball austria — vienna opera ball held annually since 1877, featuring elaborate masked attendees in formal dress
king louis xiv balls — 17th century french court masquerades at versailles where the sun king wore elaborate disguises