Alittlebitoutoffocus

Alittlebitoutoffocus

It seems the whole of the Valais has descended upon our village today, as it’s the last weekend of the Carnaval.  There’s a real party atmosphere, with stalls, lots of drinking (of course) and a band playing, though some of you may be alarmed at the fairly gruesome images to follow.  The masks are designed to scare away the evil winter spirits, but they can also have that effect on some young children too.   As you will see from one of the images – the figures are only human, so don’t have nightmares – especially over pictures 4 and 5 !  😉

For info, the masks are all made out of wood and hand carved and painted by local sculptor Hugo Beytrison.   He also creates incredibly intricate wooden sculptures of birds and animals from huge tree trunks with a chain saw!

 

8 responses

  1. neveradullbling Avatar
    neveradullbling

    Oh how fun! Those masks are beautifully done… I need a couple sent my way please… we have snow again today and winter just won’t stop, lol!! I love the face paint on the band! Talented!!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      They’re quite expensive – like 500 francs or dollars plus… Scaring spirits away is costly business! I liked the way the band was made up too. The afternoon certainly lived up to its name! 🙂

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  2. Jet Eliot Avatar
    Jet Eliot

    These are certainly an eyeful, Mike! A very talented artist and festive event, albeit scary and intimidating. Terrific photos~~

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks Jet. They certainly are quite intimidating – either wielding sweeping brushes or clanging huge cow bells. But everyone seemed to be enjoying the event. 🙂

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  3. Run Colby Run Avatar
    Run Colby Run

    This is fantastic! And your photos are magnificent! What a beautiful village. Gives me a little bit of wanderlust! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks – you certainly know how to cheer a person up! It is a very authentic, rural village and nothing like the Verbiers and Zermatts (even though they are in the same canton). You should add Switzerland and the Valais region to your ‘Must see’ list. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. In the meantime, I’ll do my best to post some more happy snaps ! 🙂

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      1. Run Colby Run Avatar
        Run Colby Run

        Many, many moons ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to back pack through Switzerland. I had a dear friend who lived in the canton of Glarus which was so, so stunning. We also traveled to Zermatt, Locarno, Lugano, Bern, Zurich… among other magnificent places. What a trip!!! I’m green with envy!!!! I will definitely get back there. Any opportunity to travel is one well taken. 🙂

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        1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          Sounds like a great trip. We have a plan to visit every canton, and we’ve done most of them, if only in passing through, but I don’t think we’ve been to Glarus yet. It’s obviously one to look forward to then. 🙂

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