The Appalachian Mardi Gras

The drive to Helvetia.

Appalachian Forest NHA Photo / Moira Gasior

Helvetia, WV (March 13, 2020) –

Every year, towards the end of spring, revelers from all over West Virginia and nearby states drive down the winding roads and through the dense forests of the Allegheny mountains, beyond the reach of cellphone service, to meet in the small town of Helvetia. Once there, people parade through the town in giant masks, dance, eat, play old-time traditional Appalachian music and say goodbye to winter. This is all part of the traditional celebration of Fasnacht, a historic and spectacular kind of Mardi Gras tradition. Appalachian Forest NHA Partnered with Helvetia Restoration Development Organization to help the town create and promote the event.

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Three friends in Fasnacht masks.

Appalachian Forest NHA / Moira Gasior

Fasnacht, which translates to “fast eve,” is always held the weekend after Fat Tuesday. With masks and food and overindulgence, it is a pre-Lenten tradition like Mardi Gras, but with Swiss and German roots. Since Lent asks participants to give up treats, a Fasnacht celebration calls for last minute fun and overindulgence. At Helvetia’s Fasnacht, locals serve German-Swiss-Appalachian favorites such as bratwurst sausage, chili, hot dogs, sauerkraut, and more at the town Band Hall.

It has been celebrated in Helvetia for 150 years, since the town’s founding, but became more widely popular in the 1960s when it merged with the Swiss celebration of Winterfest. Like the other towns that dot the Appalachian Forest region, Helvetia’s isolated nature has allowed its unique traditions to withstand the influences of time and cultural change. They have avoided the more rapid cultural shifts that other, less isolated towns have seen cause shifts in their social fabric. As a result, Helvetia has been able to continue to preserve its unique history and create a culture of independence and pride in its residents.

A girl in a opossum mask, with her friends in turkey and jester masks.

Appalachian Forest NHA / Moira Gasior

At Helvetia’s celebration, people wear giant, homemade papier-mâché masks. Though those in masks will admit that these coverings make it hard to see or eat, they are a source of competition and fun. After a candle-lit masked parade from the Band Hall to the Community Hall, the revelers gather around an effigy hanging from the middle of the ceiling. Made to personify the winter season, the effigy looks like a man and is called “Old Man Winter.” Partiers do polka, jig, and freestyle dances around Old Man Winter and eat traditional Fasnacht pastries. At the end of the ball, the masks are judged and winners are chosen. Some masks are displayed later in the Mask Museum, which also functions as the town post office and convenience store in this town of 59 people.

The snowy boughs of evergreen trees in Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area.

Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area

The night ends with a bonfire and the burning of the effigy of Old Man Winter. This tradition dates back hundreds of years in Europe, and signals not only the end of Fasnacht, but the end of the dark and cold season.

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