Witch burning Schellbronn — farewell to Fasnet

Anyone who saw the January night parade already knows the Schellehexen — dressed in black, with brooms and loud lamenting cries. On Shrove Tuesday the fifth season in Schellbronn ends on a different note: cheerful first, then ceremonial and quiet. Narrenbund Schellau bids farewell to Fasnet with a custom deeply rooted in the Biet for decades.

The afternoon belongs to children: a big carnival ball in the Schwarzwaldhalle with costumes, music and games. When darkness falls, the fools gather near the hall for the witch burning. A straw effigy dressed as a Schellenhexe is handed to the fire amid lamenting cries from Schellehexen, Wolftreiber and Tanzteufel — symbolic, not literal, but striking: the wailing carries far across the Nagold valley.

After the flames die down, the crowd often stands in silence for a moment — a deliberate farewell to the foolish season before Lent begins. On Ash Wednesday, the traditional wallet washing at the village fountain in the centre (Hohenwarterstraße / Unterreichenbacher Straße junction, organiser time around 11:33 am) follows — a tongue-in-cheek ritual after empty Fasnet purses.

For guests at Das Bollenhut Haus this is rare village life on the doorstep: a short walk to the centre, genuine custom without souvenir kitsch. Dates and admission times change yearly — check schellau.de before visiting (next witch burning per Narrenbund: 9 Feb 2027, with children's carnival in the afternoon).