Lent is here, and that means that many residents of Helvetia, WV will be foregoing hosenblatt meat pastries deep-fried in lard for awhile. Luckily last Saturday folks there had ample opportunity to consume that delicacy, along with donuts and rosettes, at the annual Fasnacht celebration. The Swiss settlers of Helvetia combined the Catholic celebration of Lent with the Protestant Winterfest of Zurich, when Old Man Winter is burned in effigy to hasten the advent of spring, to produce this annual February revel.
Fasnacht means "fasting eve" in Schwyzerdutsch, the German dialect spoken in the Swiss canton of Helvetia. In West Virginia's Helvetia, homes are decorated with scary figures to frighten Old Man Winter away.
This photo of musicians in Helvetia is undated; prior to the construction of the Star Band Hall in 1910 Fasnacht celebrations took place in homes
clipped from: appalachianhistory.blogspot.com 