The main reason and the only real reason for people wanting to wear masks back in the day was to conceal their identity. That is why we use the word masquerade and the word mask comes from this. It means to disguise yourself and to hide who you really are.

All of this wearing of masks dates back to to the 15th century where masks were used at public gatherings for weddings and other festivities. They were also worn at court with the royals during balls and is very likely, if not definitely, to have come from Italy.

The royals from all over Europe, especially during the 17th and 18th centuries, had regular masquerade balls where everyone wore masquerade masks. It was very popular and was not for the peasants of the day.You had to have money to enjoy these sort of festivities and have a great time.

Over time the enjoyment and tradition of wearing masks as masquerade came back to the streets, especially in Venice in Italy. It came from there originally and became much more widespread starting from that point. The Venice Carnival in particular is where it is to have known to have originated from for things that we celebrate now, like the mardi gras.

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