Living heritage: patois, carnival and national dress

The dialect in the Val d'Hérens is particularly strong. On high days and holidays, people wear traditional costume with bright head-squares and aprons made of velvet and silk. On 6 January, bells ring in the start of Carnival; the "Carnaval d'Hérens" is famous for its "Peluches" (wooden masks) with cat, fox and wolf faces. The people wearing the masks mingle with the spectators and play all kinds of pranks.