Celebrate with New Venetian Masquerade Ball Masks

Venetian masks originated in Venice, Italy as a way to hide one’s identity and social class. Wearing masks in public allowed citizens to act more freely, whether in an innocent or criminal fashion. The use of the Venetian mask was eventually severely restricted throughout Venice, making it illegal to wear them at Convents, while gambling or in public throughout the majority of the year. It was even illegal to paint one’s face or wear a fake beard.

The Carnival of Venice marked the end of the stringent mask law, and the city celebrated! The Carnival is now held each year, starting 40 days before Easter and ending the day before Ash Wednesday. It coincides with Mardi Gras and Brazil’s Carnaval. Participants wear Venetian and masquerade masks to accessorize their unique and elaborate costumes.

There are many different styles of masks, including the Bauta, Columbina, Medico Della Peste, Moretta and Volto. Each style is created a bit differently. Some allow the individual to speak and eat freely, while others completely cover the face, including the mouth. No matter the style of mask, it will undoubtedly draw attention and awe from the audience!

Create your own Masquerade Ball with masks from RedSkyTrader.com! The large selection of Venetian masks will fit anyone’s taste and costume needs. New masks are being added, making your costume shopping experience easier and more fun! Check out our great selection today!

What To Expect This Holiday Season Gifts, Sales, Promotions and More

There is a lot going on this holiday and the last thing you want is to over spend on gifts this year. Here are some new techniques and ideas on how to save as well as create a memorable holiday experience for your kid(s) or significant other. The struggle to find the perfect gift is inevitable but not impossible with the help of some very reliable tips. December 25 is on its way and you still haven’t bought a gift yet, don’t worry it’s never too late. Shopping online has really increased over the past years and is becoming more and more popular with consumers. Online shopping saves you money and can now be easily accessed from anywhere now that there are multiple apps for your phones and tablets. Not to mention that December 16 is Free Shipping Day (freeshippingday.com) this is only good for online retailers. Here at RedSkyTrader.com, we feel that it is important to save money and so we decided to offer 20%* off our entire inventory this holiday season with promo code Holiday20. We just got some new medieval products too, so check those out as well. RedSkyTrader will also be participating in Free Shipping Day (December 16). If you would like special tips and awesome sites that will have you save this Holiday please view this Press Release for more information.

*With use of promo code Holiday20, This promotional offer cannot be combined with any other offers and expires on 12/25/2011 at 11:59 PM EST.

New Masks and Costume Items Just In Time for Halloween 2011

Masks have a past that is both dark and depressing along with colorful and amusing. In medieval times, masks were used as a form of punishment. Prisoners were tortured by wearing the Iron Mask, a heavy, sharp torture device that made moving cumbersome and life a horrid reality. A more colorful history of masks includes the Venetian mask. In Venice, Italy, masks were used to conceal identities. This simple tradition was banned for some time throughout Italy. The day the ban was lifted became known as the Carnival of Venice and a grand celebration was staged, celebrating the use of Venetian masks. Mardi Gras and other masquerade events hold true to the concealing of identity traditions, but make the wearing of the costume mask a celebratory event!

This year for Halloween, create your own unique costume with a new Venetian Mask from RedSkyTrader! New masks have arrived just in time for your Halloween celebrations. Show up to your costume party with a creative cat costume, topped off with a new cat-face mask. Finish off your pirate costume, add some feathers and glitter to your fairy outfit or start with a fresh idea based on your finds on RedSkyTrader! Use promo code Halloween11* at checkout to receive 20% off your order! Anything on the site is 20% off with this code, so get all of your Halloween shopping done in one spot!

*Promotional offer ends November 1^st, 2011 at midnight.

Halloween Season is upon us, How it all started and some costume ideas

Halloween is a day full of haunting ghouls, tricking kids and of course, the receiving of treats. How did this day of tricks, treats and costumes begin?

The great holiday of Halloween dates back to medieval times when people of lower classes would pray for the souls of the dead in order receive food and gifts. This practice was known as “Souling.” There is an ancient Celtic tradition that still occurs today called Samhain (Sow-in). Groups of people dress in dark clothing and chant spells to scare away evil spirits.

These two medieval practices, combined with many others throughout history have brought us to modern-day Halloween where kids dress in cute costumes and roam the streets, knocking on neighborhood doors and shyly say, “Trick or Treat!” The older kids put on their best zombie, skeleton or ghoulish costume to scare their friends, but still want the treats!

Step up your costume game this Halloween with the help of RedSkyTrader.com! This online retailer has hundreds of costume ideas, easily accessible by just a few clicks of your mouse. Dress yourself as a Zombie Knight or a Medieval Gladiator! Add an antique-style telescope to finish off your pirate costume! Make your look sparkle with a new Venetian mask! RedSkyTrader.com is making your Halloween shopping even easier on the wallet by offering a 20% off special throughout this ghoulish season. Use coupon code Halloween11* at checkout to receive 20% off your entire order

If you would like more information about this topic or even more creative Halloween ideas please feel free to view our Press Release.

Happy Hauntings,

RedSkyTrader

*Offer expires November 1, 2011 at midnight.

A Look Back at Comic Con International 2011, a.k.a. Geek Vegas

Another year has passed for San Diego’s widely successful Comic Con International. We at Red Sky Trader enjoyed the Steampunk and Medieval Renaissance costumes best! This great exhibition of Comic glory began in the 70s, inspired by comic book writer Will Eisner. Eisner’s legend lives on in today’s Comic Con with the Will Eisner Awards given out each year.

The evolution of this event is pretty extraordinary. It all began in a garage. It was a gathering of a few individuals who lived and breathed everything comic. Fans and collectors got together to sell and trade their possessions and art. The convention grew too large to be held in a tiny garage and so it moved to the basement of the US Grant Hotel, located in the middle of Downtown San Diego. Vendors, illustrators and writers were invited to join this event. The popularity of this event eventually outgrew the Hotel’s basement, leading the way for San Diego’s Convention Center to open its doors to the more than 130,000 Comic fans that mingle through the vendors, artists and actors these days. It is the world’s largest comic convention and it is still growing!

This year we were lucky enough to be a part of the San Diego Comic Con International. Perhaps you saw some of the Red Sky Trader fliers on the Freebies Table. If you happen to have one still lying in your oversized tote bag, make sure you head over to http://redskytrader.com to use your promo code soon! It will save you 25% off any purchase. Start planning your costume for next year with the help of Red Sky Trader! Red Sky Trader has all of your Medieval, Costume Amor and Steampunk needs!

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