Carnival

Children love dressing up. Sometimes it’s just for fun, at school, at birthday parties, for Halloween, or when putting on a play. But there is also a time when adults put on costumes, wear makeup, have fun, and celebrate.

Some people then hold long parades with marching bands and large floats. Others wear terrifying masks and perform strange dances. Adults, who are usually serious and well-behaved, can act pretty crazy at this time.

This period is called carnival, especially in the Rhineland. Cologne’s carnival is particularly famous, as are those in other cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, such as Düsseldorf, Bonn and Aachen. In other parts of the country, people call it Fasnacht, Fasnet or Fasching.

Since it is not possible to report on all the places at once, this learning story focuses mainly on Carnival in Cologne. 

In the Rhineland, carnival season always begins in November, on 11/11 at 11:11 a.m. It ends everywhere on Ash Wednesday. This day falls no earlier than February 4 and no later than March 10. A 40-day fasting period begins on Ash Wednesday. In the past, this fast was often observed very strictly. Festive celebrations were forbidden, people were not supposed to eat as much, and they were expected to repent and give up many things. That is why people wanted to celebrate properly one last time before the fasting period began. In the Cologne dialect, carnival is therefore also called "Fastelovend", meaning the evening before the fast. Later, ordinary citizens began dressing up as fools or important people during carnival. This meant they could poke fun at powerful people and laugh at them. Since carnival celebrations were often very rowdy and disrupted public order, some cities repeatedly tried to ban this tradition.

No one knows exactly when Carnival was first celebrated. It was certainly several centuries ago. There were surely some less happy events during that long period, especially when alcohol was involved. That is why, in 1823, a group of people in Cologne founded an organisation to bring order to the wild Cologne Carnival. They called it a committee. Its main task was to organise a parade on Rose Monday. Many more groups later formed to celebrate Carnival together. They are called Carnival societies. There are now more than 100 in Cologne. From then until Ash Wednesday, they hold many gatherings where people celebrate, dance and drink. They also give humorous speeches, often in rhyme. These are called Büttenreden. Bütten were large tubs formerly used in wine-making, paper production or laundry.

Carnival events are usually held in large halls and venues in winter. The main highlight begins on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday: Women's Carnival. On this day, women symbolically take command of a town. It is customary for women to storm and occupy town halls. Sometimes they bring real scissors and cut off the men's ties.

Carnival celebrations in the Rhineland have a different theme each year. The festivities are led by the “Prince of Carnival,” who represents all the fools during Carnival. He has to attend many events. In Cologne, the Prince of Carnival forms the Three Kings with the Peasant and the Maiden. The Peasant represents the resilient, independent citizens of Cologne. The Maiden is meant to recall the Roman empress Agrippina, who is considered the city’s founder. The role is always played by a man.

Rose Monday is the last Monday before Ash Wednesday. Smaller parades are held in the city districts the day before. These parades are called Veedelszöch, because the districts in Cologne are known as Veedel. 

Schools also take part in these parades. The best costumes are judged, and the winners get to march in the big Rose Monday parade the next day. In Cologne, the Rose Monday parade is about 6 kilometers long, and more than 10,000 people take part. They include marching bands, dance groups, and equestrian groups. It lasts several hours. 

The parade also features around 150 floats, provided by the city’s carnival societies. These floats often carry giant figures representing politicians or other important people, whose mistakes and weaknesses are poked fun at.

Hundreds of thousands of people line the streets to watch the Rose Monday parades, some travelling from far away. In Cologne, the parade winds through the city centre, past Cologne Cathedral.

Several groups walk ahead of the parade, which traditionally begins with the “Blue Sparks” carnival society. At the end of the parade, the Cologne triumvirate rides on a grand float. “Kamelle” are constantly thrown from the floats. These are usually sweets, but small stuffed animals and flowers also land among the crowds. 

Rosenmontag parades are held outside Cologne, too. The parades in Düsseldorf and Mainz are especially famous.

A very different kind of carnival is celebrated in southwest Germany and northern Switzerland. It is the “Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht,” known locally as “Fasnet.” It usually begins on January 6, Epiphany. Its high point is “Schmotzige Dunnschtig,” the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. Processions and events take place in many towns on this day and the days that follow, with participants dressed up in “Schemen.” These are masks made of wood, and sometimes of fabric, paper or wire. The fools wear them again and again; some are even passed down from generation to generation. The fools’ costumes are also called “Häs.” Participants in the processions often make a lot of noise, ringing and rattling bells and cowbells or cracking whips loudly. Some customs are unique to particular towns. During the “Narrensprung” in the town of Rottweil, various characters parade through the streets wearing masks, including the “Federahannes,” the “Narrenengel,” the “Fransenkleidle” and the “Guller,” who rides a rooster.

The Carnival in Venice has been celebrated for over 900 years. However, the carnival season in Venice lasts only 10 days.

The island of Tenerife is one of the Canary Islands. It belongs to Spain. Carnival is one of the most important festivals of the year here, as it is in the city of Cadiz in Andalusia. Colourful parades are held there too.

During Carnival, it is usually much warmer there than in Germany. This is especially true of countries in South America, of course. The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, draws millions of people every year. They especially admire the huge floats, where people dance samba and have fun. Carnival is also celebrated in the southern United States, for example in New Orleans. People in many countries enjoy being cheerful and a little bit crazy. And what about you? Why not dress up and join in too ... well, you know what we mean.