For 58 years, the small town of Helvetia, West Virginia has held an annual Fasnacht celebration to mark the end of winter.
While the name “Fasnacht” comes from the German for “fasting night”, Fasnacht as a pre-Lenten celebration dates back to 1520’s Switzerland. Traditionally, the occasion includes the consumption of fatty foods and a masquerade.
The Helvetian Fasnacht can be traced back to the mid-20th century, when Swiss immigrants began hosting the celebration to feel more connected to their culture after settling in the Appalachian mountains. Helvetia’s version of the event combines expected Fasnacht conventions with those of Sechseläuten, another end-of-winter holiday celebrated annually in Zürich. Participants eat traditional Swiss snacks, enjoy live Swiss and Appalachian tunes, wear homemade masks, square dance, and scare off Old Man Winter, who is burnt in effigy during the final moments of the night.
Though just two masked attendants were at the first Appalachian Fasnacht, the festival has expanded significantly. This year’s event, held on March 1, drew more than 850 people to Helvetia, population 50. While the event is a major undertaking for the town, its residents remain nothing but welcoming to visitors old and new.
The event is a source of cultural pride for many West Virginians, and has even gained national attention due in part to the video game Fallout 76 including a version of Helvetia and Fasnacht. Now, after 58 years, Helvetia’s Fasnacht celebration continues to stand as a testament to the Swiss roots of its earliest participants, while also becoming part of a uniquely Appalachian tradition.
Check out our latest documentary “Fasnacht, in Helvetia West Virginia” (above) to learn more about this tradition and the small town.
