Heng Ko performers (fig.) wear elaborate facial makeup, often fashioned with symbols from Mahayana Buddhism, which are sometimes used also in the Theravada tradition.

The actor above has the Peach of Immortality (fig.) on his forehead, and the one on the right, a lotus flower (fig.).

The face of the performer on the left has a green bodhi tree leaf painted on the forehead, which –like the lotus– is a symbol of Enlightenment (fig.).

And, the actor seen here on the right has a a nahm tao or hu lu calabash (fig.) over the brows, and is a symbol for protection.