Local villagers fall onto the ground from an ox-cart as they ride to rid evil spirits from their village at Pring Ka-ek village, Cambodi. (Photo by Heng Sinith/AP Photo)

“Theyyam”. Preparation for the Theyyam performance in the surroundings of Kasaragod city. Theyyam is a popular ritual dance form of North Kerala, particularly in Kannur and Kasargod districts. The Theyyam represents a mythological, divine or heroic character. Make up of Theyyams is done by specialist. There are different types of face painting for which primarily and secondary colours are used. Therefore it is essential that the makeup man should have perfect knowledge of primary and secondary colour combinations. Sometimes, it takes several hours to paint each face. Photo location: Kasaragod, India. (Photo and caption by Rafal Ziejewski/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Indonesian students wearing paper masks take part in the East Java Mask Parade in Surabaya, Indonesia, 13 December 2015. Thousands of people participate in the traditional parade to preserve the mask custom among the younger generation. (Photo by Fully Handoko/EPA)

An undercover police officer, who had been marching with anti-police demonstrators, aims his gun at protesters after some in the crowd attacked him and his partner in Oakland, California December 10, 2014. Police said more than 100 demonstrators marched in Berkeley, California, which has a history of social activism. Under cloudy skies, turnout was smaller than earlier in the week, when demonstrators in the area threw rocks at police and shut down a major freeway. (Photo by Noah Berger/Reuters)

BASE jumper Luke Denniss of Australia gestures as he dives in the air from the Kuala Lumpur Tower during the KL Tower International Jump in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, September 27, 2014. BASE stands for the places such jumpers usually jump from: buildings, antennas, spans (bridges) and earth (cliffs). (Photo by Lai Seng Sin/AP Photo)

Patrick Scolaro and Cory Sullivan of Boca Raton playfully duke it out wearing masks that were handed out to attendees of the Rock the Vote concert at Mizner Park after the debate. (Photo by Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post)

Anicka Newell, of Canada, does a handstand ahead of the final of the women's pole vault at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, August 5, 2021, in Tokyo. (Photo by Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)

Three Chinese soldiers at the time of a civil war in China. (Photo by General Photographic Agency/Getty Images). 1922