Tschäggättä
The masked carnival figures characteristic of Lötschental, the so-called Tschäggättä, appear in the period between the Catholic holiday of Candlemas and Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday). Every evening after work these wild figures streak through the valley and frighten anyone who is still out on the streets at that hour. The Tschäggättä wear old clothes inside out, with the fur facing outwards. They are covered by two pieces of sheepskin or goatskin, held together by a leather belt around their loins, with a cow bell («Trichla») usually hanging down from the belt.
