FASNACHT

The Mardi Gras carnival, known as Fasnacht in Tyrol, is a series of festivities popular throughout the region. On Faschingsonntag (the Sunday before Mardi Gras) or on Mardi Gras, parades with folk costumes and zany wood-carved masks, some of which are very old, delight spectators. This winter-hunting event is a symbol of traditional Germanic culture in general. In the Tyrolean version, the masks add a picturesque touch that comes from the Middle Ages.