Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
INZELL, Germany (AP) — Hansi Schwabl has carved masks out of wood for a decade, turning the craft from his native Bavarian town of Inzell into a Christmas hobby.
The masks are worn by companions of Saint Nicholas who goes house-to-house with gifts in an early December tradition.
Each mask takes about 20 to 30 hours of work to produce, and Schwabl has lost track of how many he has made.
The 26-year-old makes the first rough cuts in a piece of pine with a chain-saw, and carves the rest by hand.
After carefully painting the mask, he adds hair from horse or sheep. Glass eyes are inserted as the finishing touch. The 4-5 kilogram (9-11 pound) masks sell for between 250 and 600 euros ($300-$750).
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
