A Lötschental local in a typically creative Tschäggättä costume, with a sheep’s skull incorporated into the mask. Opposite: At 3,934m, the Bietschhorn is the tallest mountain in the valley
It's not safe to walk the Lotschental after dark. When the sun sets behind the mountains that rise over the valley, turning their jagged peaks pink in a last burst of defiance against the night, it's best to scurry inside, lock the front door and hide beneath the bedcovers. The Tschagga are coming. The sound of bells announces them: a steady dong-dong-dong that drifts and builds down narrow streets, agitating the cows and sheep kept safe in village barns over winter.
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February 2019
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