Do you like to dress up and wear a mask to a festival?

This playful lion mask is from India. It is made from papier-mâché and decorated in bright yellow, with red, brown and black facial features. Its design follows similar much older masks and is in a style common in many states in India. It is made for children and has two strings at the back to attach it to the head.

Masks like this are cheap to make and are sold for use in festivals and celebrations. The masks are often in the form of animals such as elephants, leopards, wolves, donkeys – animals that feature in many traditional Indian tales.