Guard (carnival)

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A guard in the carnival sense (carnival guard , carnival guard , carnival guard ) can be:

  1. a group satirizing the military ,
  2. a dance group .

Gardens are an important part in many places, both at the meeting carnival and the Rose Monday parades .

designation

For the term Guard see here . In the Rhenish carnival in particular , gardens of the first kind are also known as sparks . The dancers attached to this garden are called Tanzmariechen , in the Rhenish Carnival also called Funkenmariechen.

history

Carnival guards were created as a parody of the military. They came up with the resurgence of the street carnival in the 1820s and 1830s. The first such guard were the Kölner Rote Funken . Corresponding groups were formed in other cities as well, such as the Mainz Ranzengarde in Mainz in 1837 . Uniforms and organization were mostly based on historical models, usually from the 17th to 19th centuries.

This military persiflage has not met with approval at all times, be it that it was viewed as “ unpatriotic ” or that it was assumed to be militaristic .

In the early years after the Second World War , for example, carnival parades were banned by the Allied occupying powers because the carnival guards were viewed as militaristic.

Female dance guards, on the other hand, are relatively new. The first, the Blue Dance Guard of KG Möbelwagen Stuttgarter Karnevalgesellschaft eV, was founded in 1947. They have their origins in the revue dance of the 1920s and 1930s.

At the end of 2007, the Kölner Rote Funken became the world's first carnival club to be certified according to the international quality standard ISO 9001: 2000 .

organization

Carnival guards are now usually organized as separate associations . Gardens can also form departments within carnival clubs. This is often the case with Tanzgarden in particular. Even military persiflative guards usually have a dance guard as a department.

Those guards who satirize the military mostly orient their organization on the historical model. So there is an infantry , artillery , cavalry or sappers . The Gardee music corps and the dance guards play an important role . A so-called field pharmacy is often added, especially in the Rose Monday procession.

Many gardens take part in tournaments. All over Germany, Gardens qualify in tournaments for the north and south German semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the Garden can qualify for the German championship in carnival dance sport. The first league is organized by the Association of German Carnival (BDK). The German championship in carnival dance sport 2010 was carried out in the five disciplines dance mariechen , dance couples , dance garden , mixed garden (only active) and show dance in the age groups youth, juniors and active.

Uniforms

Although, in principle, each guard is free to design their uniforms, many guards are strongly based on historical models. Uniforms from the 17th to 19th centuries, in particular, are often reproduced in great detail, often in elaborate manual work.

According to the historical ranks and troop units , the uniforms within a guard also differ. However, the uniforms of the dancers in the dance guards are all fantasy uniforms, as there were no corresponding "troops" in historical armies , even if the uniforms are mostly based on historical models.

Garden in the session carnival

It is in the nature of things that the military guards, with their often numerous members and their extensive equipment, only have a limited role in the session carnival. On the stages and in the halls with their limited space there is hardly any space for horses or large numbers of people.

Therefore, usually only a selected number of guards take part in the meeting carnival. Usually this also includes members of the dance guard. Often there is only one special dance couple, consisting of the dance marie and a dance officer. Some gardens also have children's dance groups, which are also used on such occasions, e.g. B. the Cologne Blue Sparks .

In addition to dance performances, the parody of military rituals is part of the program, for example in Cologne the well-known “ Stippeföttche ”, in which two guardsmen rub their butts together.

Garden in the carnival parades

Carnival parades are one of the most important fields of activity of the Carnival Guards. These are the highlight of the session. As a rule, a larger number of participants can march here. The various departments can present themselves, including music corps and dance guards. Riders and their own carnival floats can also be brought along.

The so-called field pharmacy plays a special role . This is a special wagon that is used to supply the guardsmen during the train, e.g. B. is used with throwing material.

Another special feature is the camel cannon , a cannon which is used to shoot large quantities of sweets (Rhenish "camels"). Similarly, there is the confetti cannon that shoots confetti. Carnival guards or their departments get their designation as artillery from such “armaments” .

See also