Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 6. (Budapest, 1963)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM - MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Rásonyi, Lydia: A Demon Mask from Ceylon

LYDIA RÁSONYI A DEMON MASK FROM CEYLON In 1957 our museum purchased a valuable and beautiful Ceylonese demon mask from Mrs. Gábor Faraghó. This interesting group of objects has not yet been represented in our collection. Even a cursory examination of the mask shows that it may be compared with the most outstanding and oldest pieces in European collections of Ceylonese masks. Before describing it in detail, we are bound to briefly discuss Ceylonese mask plays and ceremonies together with the various rites of exorcism and the prevention of disease. The fascinating devil'

8 dance" of Ceylon was enthusiastically described by ancient travellers, but a detailed report on the rite itself is given only by Callaway

1 in 1829. At the end of the century Grünwedel

2 deals with the pieces in the collections of Munich and Berlin; then in 1930 Pertold

3 devotes several articles to the profane masked plays and Wirz

4 treats the rites of demon worship in the Forties. All these studies grapple with partial problems, single ceremonies and rites only. The first comprehensive study of all the masked ceremonies existing on the island of Ceylon is the book by Lucas.

5 In the bibliographical appendix he enumerates 33 books and papers respectively on the subject of Ceylonese masks. Among these works hardly any may be found in our libraries. So we are bound to follow mainly Lucas in the classification of the mask in question and the description of the rites. The island of Ceylon, situated in the immediate neighbourhood of Southern India, is inhabited by various peoples. The nomadic Ved das, living by hunting and gathering and known in scientific literature as one of the most backward peoples of the world, are the descendants of the original inhabitants. They dwell in the jungles of the Nilgala mountains deep within the island. They do not use masks for dancing, and are of no great interest to us. The northern part of the island is inhabited by the Tamils, a people speaking Dravidic language who immigrated in several waves in the first centuries of our era. The most numerous people of Ceylon are the Sinhalese of Aryan origin who since the third century B. C. are Buddhists. In the following their masked ceremonies and dances will be dealt with. The masked games of Ceylon are partly popular plays of profane character, partly religious rites of exorcism, thus far known as „devil's dances" in scientific literature. Most of the masks used in popular plays and dances betray their origin as part of an ancient rite for deterring evil spirits and averting illness. This is borne out by the fact that even the demons figuring in profane plays