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Fascinating faces of Fasnacht in West Virginia

The Inter-Mountain

The village of Helvetia celebrated Fasnacht Saturday, dressing up in various guises to burn Old Man Winter.
(Inter-Mountain photo by Lori Smith)

HELVETIA, W.Va. — The village of Helvetia celebrated Fasnacht Saturday, dressing up in various guises meant to scare off Old Man Winter and cold weather.

Fasnacht is the Swiss equivalent of Mardi Gras in New Orleans or Carnivale in Rio. It is a time of celebration before the beginning of Lent. In Switzerland, the annual celebration takes place on ‘Fat Tuesday,’ the day before Ash Wednesday. In Helvetia, however, community members traditionally host festivities on the Saturday prior to Ash Wednesday.

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