Join NCSML Curator Stefanie Kohn for a look inside the Magic and Mystery exhibit, which was presented at the NCSML from October 29, 2022 - March 19, 2023.

All over the world, Carnival celebrations take place in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday and Lent. In the United States, this festival is called Mardi Gras. Czechs call it Masopust and the Slovak word is Fašiangy.

In the United States, Czech glass Mardi Gras beads were worn and thrown to crowds in New Orleans. In the Czech and Slovak Republics, costumes may depict a bear on a chain and its master, the so-called hřebenář (hair comb maker), a devil, animals, or the chimney sweep.

This exhibit featured Czech and Slovak Carnival masks and costumes next to ornate beaded parade costumes from the American south, along with Czech beaded necklaces. Artifacts and images were borrowed from museums in the United States as well as in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.