For many villages in the Aosta valley, the carnival represents a moment of social cohesion, where most citizens are involved. There are two kinds of traditional carnival: historical and ritual. The former recalls past events and the historical traditions. Here follows a list of the most important celebrations.

At Verrés, an interesting XVcentury situation is recalled: Earl Francois de Challant bequeathed his feud to his daughter Catherine, against the rules of the time, as he had no sons. His relatives contested his will in front of the Earl of Savoy and attacked Catherine. The countess, in order to protect herself, tried to gain the people's support, participating to a popular ball with her husband Pierre Sarriod, Earl of Introd, and then inviting everyone to her castle. Actually the end was prosaic (Catherine gave up her feud to new owners), however the carnival recalls the moment when the Countess opened the rooms of her castle to the people. For Verrés citizens it is an honour to impersonate the main characters of the event The programme of the celebration also includes a performance, in the castle hall, of the comedy "A game of Chess" by Giuseppe Giacosa.

At Pont-Saint-Martin, since 1910, historical recalls and echoes of ancient legends meet together. The historical part concerns the defeat of the Salassi by the Romans, giving the loser a chance of revenge in a match called "delle bighe", that once again sets natives against invaders. Another part of the carnival is inspired by the legend of the nymph of the stream Lys. Angry with the inhabitants, she swelled the river in order to destroy the village, but, when the flood reached the roman bridge, it did no harm thanks to people's prayers. On Shrove Thursday Eve, an effigy of the devil (by whom, according to another legend, the bridge was built) is hanged to the only arch of the bridge and burned with extraordinary effect. Playing the role of the nymph is, for the village girls, a privilege they will never forget;

At Nus, Quart and the Saint Martin carnival recalls historical events from the Middle Ages and aristocratic characters of the respective areas.

On the other hand, ritual carnival is typical of the San Bernardo Valley, the so-called "Coumba freida" ("cold valley", because of the cold wind that blows for most part of the year). Here the ritual of carnival includes the "benda" parade, a group of mask-characters of ancient origin, who visit the village houses, where they are welcome with sweets, local food and drinks.

In the town of Saint-Vincent, during carnival, children take care of some administrative jobs; income from their fines are given to charity.
Moreover, snow-carnivals are organized in some of the Valley's skiing resorts.