Fasnacht
1 W Main Street, Helvetia, WV 26224
The town of Helvetia embraces its Swiss culture by celebrating the end of winter and start of Lent by burning Old Man Winter at Fasnacht. Starting in the afternoon, you will be able to join in jam sessions, listen to the sound of community coming together to eat and be merry, or browse through the local shops and mask museum.
In the later part of the evening, a parade featuring large, often frightening, artistic masks travels from the Red Hall to the Community Hall where the costumes are judged and a square dance begins.
At midnight the effigy of Old Man Winter is cut down from the ceiling of the Community Hall, carried on the shoulders of the celebrants to the bonfire outside, and burned to signal the end of Winter.
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