Over 60 Romanian folk masks exhibited in the Czech Republic

It is a pleasure to recall this important cultural cooperation between Romania and the Moravian Wallachia region, represented by the exhibition “The Mystery of the Romanian Folk Mask,” which opened on December 6, 2025, and can be visited between December 7, 2025, and April 12, 2026, in Vsetin, Czech Republic.

The exhibition “The Mystery of the Romanian Folk Mask” is more than a presentation of over 60 traditional Romanian masks, many of them exhibited for the first time in the Czech Republic; it is a cultural bridge that highlights the deep historical and ethnographic links between our regions.

The project was initiated by the Muzeum regionu Valašsko in Vsetín and developed in collaboration with four important ethnographic museums in Romania: the Transylvanian Museum of Ethnography (Cluj-Napoca), the Maramureș Museum (Sighetu Marmației), the Maramureș County Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art (Baia Mare), and the Crișana Museum (Oradea).

Traditions know no borders

Transylvania and Moravian Wallachia share a similar cultural memory, shaped by mountain life and a deep respect for the cycles of nature.

In Romanian folk culture, the traditional mask is not a simple decorative accessory, but an instrument of symbolic communication and a means of social and spiritual repositioning.

The characters they represent, be they the Goat, the Devils, the Old Men and Women, or the sacrificed Bull, act in complementary ways: they cause ritual chaos, satirize social reality, and attract protection, fertility, and purification.

The masks presented in the exhibition are handmade from traditional natural materials—wood, fur, leather, straw, textiles—and are often complemented with recycled or reinterpreted elements. This mixture of the archaic and the spontaneous gives the masks a distinct visual and symbolic power.

The exhibition offers a visual and symbolic journey into the world of folk masks, featuring:

-Traditional masks from Romania and the Czech Republic, sourced from museum collections and creative workshops

-Carols and documentary video recordings of masked parades and ritual processions

-Stories and explanations about each character and their role in the ceremony

-Contemporary works by Romanian mask makers

-Spatial and audiovisual installations created by students at Tomas Bata University in Zlín, which reinterpret the symbolism of masks in the context of today’s visual culture

We are honored to have the support of Her Excellency Antoaneta Barta, Romania’s ambassador to the Czech Republic, and the participation of Romanian curators, made possible by the Romanian Cultural Institute in Prague. Their involvement strengthens cultural diplomacy and professional exchanges.

This project, “The Mystery of the Romanian Folk Mask,” is part of a joint effort to promote and highlight Romania’s intangible cultural heritage in relevant international contexts, while strengthening cultural ties between the mountain regions of Central Europe.