Tschäggättu - scare to death
A strange carnival tradition from Switzerland
A strange carnival tradition from Switzerland
In the Lötschental, a valley in southern Switzerland, every year around february a special carnival tradition is held. The "Tschäggättu" roam through the villages of this valley. The Tschäggättu look like monsters but they are men (and even women) disguised as rude appearances dressed in animal fur and hiding behind wooden masks. When they walk though the villages at night and you hear the ringing of their cowbell worn around their hips, they'll scare the hell out of you! And don't get too close to them. They are not really kind to you. Even when you sit in one of these cosy restaurants or bars in the villages, you're not save from these masks.
But the "Tschäggättu" is also a tradition that is strongly embedded in the valley's inhabitants life.
But the "Tschäggättu" is also a tradition that is strongly embedded in the valley's inhabitants life.
