Karnevalszeit

When you hear the word 'carnival' in the English-speaking world, it's probably more likely to be associated with Rio rather than with Germany. Yet in some German regions there are many customs and festivals associated with 'carnival'-and there are quite a few days off work. For many people, carnival is the one occasion in the year when they truly allow themselves to go crazy. This is especially true for the Rhineland, where the 'official' Karnevalszeit (carnival season) starts on the 11th of the 11th at 11.11am. This is when the Karnevalsvereine (carnival clubs) start their preparations, for example building the Karnevalswagen (carnival floats) for the Karnevalszug (carnival parade)– meeting the old stereotype that things are done thoroughly in Germany, even when having fun – though I have to concede that it can take a lot to create such a float. (If you would like to see for yourself, have a look at the documentation on how an old VW Golf was turned into a 'running' camel for a parade in 2003: click on Wagenbau-Newsletter 2002/2003. It doesn't matter if you don't speak any German - just scroll down and let the photos speak for themselves.)

Everything comes to a climax several days before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Almost everyone goes crazy, at least in the Rhineland, especially in Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Mainz. The first of these wild days is the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, called 'Weiberfastnacht'. In many towns women take over the town halls and, according to an old tradition, cut off the ties of male politicians, colleagues-whoever comes along, is male, and wears a tie. This 'taking over' is the first step in celebrations that are centred around individuals assuming different roles, putting on masks and mocking authority: nowadays leading politicians are generally the target. In the following few days there are a lot of dressing-up parties, and everyone competes to be crazier and more foolish than everyone else, with a little help from the local (and not so local) breweries, champagne and wine cellars. Numerous carnival parades take place, mostly on Rose Monday, and many small towns pride themselves on their own parades, even if this happens only every two years, as for example in Rheinberg, a small town you might have read about in one of my earlier articles. The parades are made up of lots of different floats, many of which have a theme, often picking up on the mood of the time. Cologne's theme this year was 'Laach doch ens, et weed widder wäde'– in the dialect of the area. Translated into 'proper' German it is 'Lach doch mal, es wird schon wieder werden': Just laugh-somehow it'll all get better.

Last but not least, one must mention that there's always an alternative. Twenty years ago some folk in Cologne turned the 'Prunksitzung' (a pompous pre-carnival gathering of big carnival clubs) into a 'Stunksitzung'-'Stunk' being colloquial for 'trouble'. This 'Stunksitzung' parodies those traditional carnivals that have become a bit stiff and establishment. It could be called the 'underground' version of the Cologne carnival and all its sessions are sold out long in advance…

Traditional or iconoclastic, carnival is a time to let your hair down, to find time to mock authority and to enjoy yourself. Go with the flow-or against it!