The making of the mask

The face is one of the most important parts of the Janissary and Boula costumes.
We can see similarities in ancient masks that were used in Dionysian ceremonies during the spring.

Its old mold is preserved in our workshop with the same curves and peculiarities from the time it was made in the 18th century.

The mask is made of thick cloth and pure beeswax inside and out.

The wax cools the dancer internally while the eyes and mouth are very small so that the dancer can barely see and breathe.

The composition of the colors is based on the hen's egg.

The pure white color of the mask symbolizes the death of nature and Hellenism, in contrast to the red cheeks that give a breath of life, which is fading and which will flood all the hearts of the enslaved nation.

The yellow weight on the forehead was first included in the Bulla, a distinctive mark of a married oriental woman, and then adapted to the face of the Janissary, for beauty but also to symbolize that slavery is dying.

These symbolisms are heard from the elders, but it is certain that similar colors were used in ancient masks with approximately the same architecture and proportions.

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