Monk

Pongsan mask portraying a monk.The popular masked dances played by troupes of peasants in Korea perform a series of jokes on social satires. They are religious and comic, even obscene. They tell about corrupted monks, polygamous and arrogant noblemen, concubines, shamanic women’s lusts and poor people’s problems. The aim is to make people laugh because laughter expels evil. There are four regional types of theater: Sande in Yangju region, Pongsan, Hahwe and Yaryu-Okwande. Each region has its own typical masks and different jokes though each represents the same characters. The plays begin with a shamanic ritual to expel bad influences. At the end the masks are burnt since they keep the evil spirits once exorcized.