Fasnacht 2025: My Experience, and the Fluidity of Folk Culture

There’s something so exquisite and magical about wandering around a small, cozy village surrounded by people wearing various masks of animals and characters, with a warm cup of coffee in my hand, as snow gently falls to the ground. Earlier this month, I made the trek to Helvetia, West Virginia for Fasnacht, which is a traditional Swiss end-of-winter celebration. This was my first time ever visiting this town, let alone for this festival, so I was not fully sure what to expect. I could not have predicted how much I would enjoy my time here. To quote the West Virginia folklife site, “Fasnacht is a pre-Lenten tradition that dates back to 1520 in Switzerland and celebrates the changing of the seasons”. The Fasnacht celebration in Helvetia is a prime example of the fluidity and ever-changing nature of folk traditions. “Tradition encompasses change”. This is a quote from Susan Auerbach, a former folk arts coordinator for the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, as quoted in the book “Destination Culture: Tourism, Museums, and Heritage” by Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett. In other words, as society and individuals grow and change, so do our traditions and culture. I was able to observe firsthand how Fasnacht has simultaneously retained its’ core values and traditions, while synthesizing with relatively new traditions that are brought in as more people discover the event. One example of this is fans of the video game Fallout 76 who come to the festival each year dressed as characters from the game. I thought it was so cool to see how fans of this game have become a regular part of this tradition, even having their own area with Fallout merch set up. Not only has Fallout 76 introduced an entirely new audience to Fasnacht, but I think that it could work the other way around too. I can definitely say that seeing the Fallout costumes made me want to check the game out!

There were two sisters who were braiding tinsel into people’s hair at the Cheese Haus for three dollars a piece, so my friend and I decided to each get a tinsel. I want to give a shout-out to them and highly recommend that you find them and get your own tinsel, if you decide to attend Fasnacht. I want to recommend them not only because the tinsel was beautiful, but because they are so funny and personable and made it a memorable and fun experience.

As a first timer at Fasnacht, I can say that I immediately felt so welcomed and at home by everyone there. Everyone I encountered there was so friendly and kind. There was just such a sense of collective joy that made this celebration so special. I feel like I experienced this collective joy most of all during the parade in which everyone walked to the community hall, and the burning of Old Man Winter. Walking over to the community hall in a large group with everyone, and then standing in a big circle around the bonfire, cheering as Old Man Winter burned, was an experience like no other. There is no way to fully put this festival into words, so I highly recommend that you attend this festival next year and experience it for yourself.