When Americans hear about a carnival they think about Street Carnival in Brazil, Mardi Gras, and state fairs. When people in Germany hear about carnival they think about something different. They think about big parades, clowns, parties, costumes and a weekend of celebration and fun. Especially in the Midwest of Germany carnival has a huge tradition of celebrating, wearing costumes, listening to music and having fun. But what and how do people in Germany celebrate, why is Cologne a Karnevalshochburg, why is it called the fifth season and how different is it from Brazilian carnival and Mardi Gras?
On the 11.11. at 11:11 a.m. the Karnevalszeit, Fasching or the fifth season begins. It lasts until Ash Wednesday and the start of lent. It is interrupted by Christmas time which lasts from the first advent to the 6th of January, the three kings day. The people celebrate, drink and eat candy before the 40 days of lent start. From small kids to elderly men and women, nearly everyone celebrates carnival in some way. Some people march in parades or watch them, others join events and listen to music or comedians in their Dialekt.
Although the carnival season lasts for a couple of months, it is mainly celebrated on the 11.11 and the last weeks before Ash Wednesday. The last Thursday, the Weiberfastnacht, marks the beginning of the street carnival and parades. Sunday and Monday, the Rosenmontag, parades with huge customized floats and groups of people in theme costumes march through the city, throwing candy, playing music, sharing small drinks and dancing. On the Tuesday, the Veilchendienstag, small parades take place and the Nubbel, a small strawdoll, is burned. He hangs over bars since Weiberfastnacht and is blamed for all the drinking and sins, which burn with him. But in the last weeks before lent there are also a ton of other parties and so called Sitzungen, events with dancing groups and comedians, often speaking Köllsch, the dialect of Cologne, or their regions dialect.
Every year the carnival groups and associations of a region vote a Karnevalsprinz, maybe also a princess or a Dreigestirn. Cologne has a Dreigestirn, the pawn, the maiden, representing the female founder of the city who though is traditionally a men’s role, and the prince. The pawn was first mentioned in 1422, the maiden in 1570 and in 1823 the then called Held Karneval who became the Karnevalsprinz in 1871. They are the biggest representatives for the season and have a packed schedule, attending tons of events with the Prinzengarde and the Tanzmariechen, their “guards“ and a group of dancing girls all in traditional clothes.
Because carnival‘s origins are connected with Christian and mostly Catholic traditions and rules, it is mainly celebrated in the more Catholic regions of Germany, especially in the Midwest of Germany. Although it has spread over the years, the main cities and regions are Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz, the Karnevalshochburgen. They celebrate with the biggest parades, the most events and have the longest tradition. Some details also vary between the different cities and a small rivalry between Düsseldorf and Cologne has emerged over the years, not only in carnival but also in sports and other things. One of the biggest things is that the typical cheer, which kids scream to get candy at the parades for example, in Cologne is Alaaf and in Düsseldorf is Helau.
Carnival in Germany includes parts of Brazilian street carnival and Mardi Gras as it also has the big parades which for most people are the main part of carnival but it also is so much more. It is a culture shared between friends and families with yearly themed costume parties, events to go to and parades that are getting handed down to the next generation and are enjoyed by young and old. And although most people do a lot of drinking when celebrating carnival, it is so much more than just drinking. It is a fifth season as it means the same amount of change every year and means so much for the people. And I will definitely miss it as it is only celebrated in a few places and isn‘t nearly the same. So if you really want to get in touch with German culture, carnival is your best option.
