This is a stunning monument at Ottana, Sardinia.
The mask on the left represents the typical mask worn at carnival from the rural mountain town of Ottana. Boes e Merdules represent an ox and his master. Wild pear wood is used in making these stunning, intricate masks, the star carved on the mask is for good luck and fortune.
The mask on the right is the mask of the Mamuthones from Mamoiada. The masks are made from the fig, elm, chestnut or walnut tree and are blackened to give off a phantom of a presence. The Mamuthone legacy is shrouded in secrecy and there is little documented evidence on their origins; some scholars argue that the Mamuthones had already marched in the nineteenth century while others argue that the ritual dance and parade goes back even further, to the Nuraghic Age.
This is my response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Grand
