Tschaggatta

The masks are carved from arolla pine, deliberately asymmetrical and grotesque - bared teeth, horns, distorted features - and painted, then worn with sheepskins turned fur-out and a cowbell at the waist, so a Tschagatta is bulky, loud and unrecognisable. They appear in the Lotschental villages in the weeks between Candlemas and Ash Wednesday, traditionally after dark, chasing and startling people in the lanes; unmarried young men were the traditional wearers and anonymity was the rule. Carving is a living craft, and the workshops sell year round. Explanations of the custom's origin vary - winter-driving, initiation, licensed disorder - and no single account is settled, which the valley is comfortable with.

What you actually see

• Carved arolla-pine masks - asymmetrical, painted, deliberately grotesque.
• Sheepskins and cowbells - the bulk and noise that complete the figure.
• Appearances after dark - in the village lanes through the carnival weeks.
• A contested origin - several explanations, none settled.

When to go

Between 2 February and Ash Wednesday, after dark. An evening.

Honest expectations

This is a village custom on no fixed timetable - encounters are chance unless there is an organised parade. It is cold and dark. The figures chase and grab; that is the point, and it startles children. Masks sold to visitors vary widely in quality.

Nearby

The Lotschental villages run up the valley; Goppenstein is at the mouth.