Cologne Carnival

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Festival committee of the Cologne Carnival of 1823 eV (Logo)
The Cologne triumvirate 2005 (from left Jungfrau, Prince, Farmer)
Cologne Rose Monday Parade (2004)
Figure on the Carnival Monday procession (2006)
Camels!

The Cologne Carnival is a Rhenish folk festival that is one of the largest and most famous carnival festivals in the world. It is also known locally as "Fastelovend" or "Fasteleer".

Timeframe and organization

The carnival session or the “fifth season” will officially take place on the “ Eleventh in the Eleventh ”, November 11th, at “Eleven o'clock” at Cologne's Alter Markt or Heumarkt with performances by the most famous carnival musicians in front of several thousand spectators as well as the presentation of the designated Cologne triumvirate opened. The activities increase gradually: after the quiet Advent and Christmas season, the corps appeals , carnival meetings and balls with performances by hand-made speakers as well as dance and music groups begin from the New Year . The prince proclamation also takes place at the beginning of January.

On the Thursday before Ash Wednesday , the day of Weiberfastnacht , the street carnival will also open at 11:11 a.m. on the Alter Markt. From this point on, the revelers party in the pubs and on the streets until the evening of Carnival Tuesday. The Cologne Schull- un Veedelszöch take place on Carnival Sunday . The best groups of feet and wagons in the Veedel are awarded a prize and are allowed to take part in the Rose Monday procession . In addition, many Veedel organize their own parades between Carnival Friday and Carnival Tuesday. The official highlight of the Cologne Carnival is the Rose Monday procession that takes place on Rose Monday . On Wednesday night, the nubbel burning is held in the Veedeln as a farewell custom . On Ash Wednesday only internal final meetings, usually a joint fish meal, take place.

The coordinating force behind the official Cologne carnival program is the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee as an organizational association of the Cologne carnival societies. These traditional associations make up the Cologne triumvirate and many of the participants in the official carnival parades. In addition to the official one, an alternative carnival has also established itself. The stunksitzung has existed since 1984. It was created as a student alternative to the official carnival and today is a mixture of Cologne carnival and political cabaret with comedy elements . Also outside of the official regulations, the nightly ghost procession formed on Carnival Saturday. This alternative move came into being after the official Rose Monday procession was canceled in 1991 in response to the second Gulf War .

history

→ For the cultural history of Carnival see Carnival, Fastnacht and Fasching .

middle Ages

Winter expulsions and extravagant hustle and bustle on the eve of Easter Lent were also common in Cologne in the Middle Ages. The first written records can be found from 1220. People ate and drank, danced, played dress-up games and moved on foot or on horseback. Actors were also the gaffs , the professional and political associations of the guilds .

“Now the great hustle and bustle began in all the streets, in all the houses, for three days. Every kind of private business was suspended, the time was devoted only to great pleasure. Individual masks and smaller features of the same appeared at acquaintances to joke with them, or they crossed the streets and took part in this or that house, probably also in the inns and inns, which are open day and night, as well as the streets cheerful and jubilant people were filled with joking scenes, sometimes for mockery, sometimes for funny, cozy conversation and teasing. Balls were held every night, at which the masks continued the friendly, joking, and often bitter teasing and alternated the dance with general spectacles. "

- 16th century

The carnival and its excesses were apparently difficult to control. On March 5, 1341, the city council decided not to give any more money from the city treasury to “vastavende”. Repeatedly the council forbade the "mumming", for example in 1487 the "bombing, staking and bequeathing" and in the 17th century several times "the mummerey and heathen rage". In 1441 a landlord was punished for performing the parody of a church reliquary procession; in the 17th century the council turned against "public nonsense" in clerical, monk or nun disguise.

Modern times

Cologne Carnival customs in the early modern period are vividly described in the notes of councilor Hermann von Weinsberg (1518–1597). The Thursday before Ash Wednesday (today: "Wieverfastelovend") was called "Lutzenfastabend" (1550; 1595). The Carnival Sunday was called "Great Fast evening" where "that folcks gemeinlich dissing day in Coln beschenckt [= drunk] is. I didn’t have 0.5 quart of wine 3 alb. starved. "(1587). Rose Monday was called "Kleinfastabend". On this day one was left out ("lost"), foolish and angular, disguised (masked) oneself, danced and drumming through the streets:

"A. 1578 February 10th on monday too small almost evening, when the folk were frolich and presumptuous, I also thought to bequeath something to myself and to be foolish, then that kunth the time eitz suffer, but with me eitz didn’t know how to act better with foolishness and foolishness, then me I praised myself, they were a real mommen and foolish effect ... vur min zit triple and almost evening spill . … Anno 1592 the 10th of febrvarii on monday to fast evening when that jong folck came across the streets, mommen dollen leiff i have no wisdom to do ... "

Shrove Tuesday was called "Letstfastabend". Weinsberg invited friends, neighbors and relatives to eat and drink in his home. Here, too, the young people disguised themselves, for example by wearing foreign work clothes:

“Anno 1580 the 16 febrvarii the lest fast evening in the evening were Peter van Weinsberch and Anna, sin fraw, alone at our meal, do me the fast evening closed. Min broder zapte wine to Weinsberch around 7 alb. And quamen unß jonge neiffen… and two more at unß mommen, had come to terms with knowledge wambiss , schortzn , stopmetzer vißgerust like fasbender . … A. 1594, February 22nd, Lestfastabent, how the wine was dure, so the journeymen of several offices walked the streets with their trumpets and held camps, including vil vom jongen folk. But the mean and hard-working man has been quiet and saved up. "

Ash Wednesday was "Ash Day", on which Lent began, which lasted until "Parschen" (Easter). There was an interruption on Sunday Laetare , the so-called "half fast" or "rose day":

"A. 1579 April 5th Dominica Laetare to half-fast on the rose day, jonfer Elisabetha Horns, who stayed with us and who reads fast-evenings, was given me a backrest like in Coln, sent me a britzel. That's why I spent the evening at Weinsberch seeds frolicking. "

The French occupiers forbade Carnival in Cologne on February 12, 1795, but allowed it on the 7th  Pluviôse of the year XII. (January 28, 1804) again. The bourgeoisie still celebrated foolish masked balls , but the street carnival was almost extinct. The Carnival in Cologne, which had been Prussian since 1815 after the French withdrew , was revitalized and reorganized in 1823 with the establishment of the “Festordnenden Comites”, increased by the component of criticism of the (foreign) authorities: a “cultural and political prank with a humorous one Ambience ".

The “Festordnende Komitee” was founded in 1823 in order to give the previously disordered Carnival in Cologne a new direction and a new content. The main purpose when it was founded was that the “once so famous Cologne Carneval ... should be renewed and celebrated with a general masked procession”. The organization of this carnival procession was up to the “small or funny council”; all paying members of the committee formed the "Grand Council", which in the following years met regularly for "general assemblies", which were called "committee meetings" from 1833 onwards. These meetings, the main purpose of which was to prepare the carnival procession, began on New Year's Day or Epiphany and took place every Sunday from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. until Shrovetide Sunday. There was music, drinks, serious and humorous speeches on the "fool's chair" (the forerunner of the Bütt ), a president surrounded by councilors, medals and from 1827 the custom of wearing the same caps: "Same brothers, same caps!" big balls, especially since 1824 the “Monday Festival Ball” in Gürzenich until its renovation in 1855–57. The time of these meetings was already called "session" back then. From 1825 the “Festordnende Komitee” brought out the “Official Carnival Newspaper”, which, however, was banned again by the Prussians in 1839 because it was “too liberal”.

From the middle of the 19th century, the “Festordnenden Komitee” faced competition from new carnival societies such as the “Hanswurstliche Parlament” founded in 1842 and the “Iron Knights”. In 1857 there were 31 carnival societies. The rival carnival societies, the "Great Carnival Society" and the "Great Cologne Carnival Society" founded in 1882, came to an understanding in 1888 and together they formed the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee, which sees itself as the successor to the " Festival Ordering Committee" and also nominates the Cologne triumvirate .

In 1935, the Cologne Carnival resisted joining the Nazi organization “ Kraft durch Freude ” ( Strength through Joy ), which is known as a fool's revolt . However, this only related to the organizational structure; part of the leadership of the Cologne carnivalists had previously joined the NSDAP . During the time of National Socialism , Jews were often the target of ridicule at carnival as well.

Failures

In the history of Cologne , the Rose Monday procession has been canceled several times since 1823. In 1871 the Franco-German War was the cause. From 1915 to 1926 there was also no train due to the war and the occupation of the Rhineland . General Paul von Ploetz forbade "the organization of assemblies and meetings of all kinds" and "the wearing of disguises or carnival badges in public" for the carnival season. Later "singing and playing carnival songs in pubs, club rooms, on the streets and in public places" was also banned. From 1940 to 1948, World War II and the subsequent ban by the military government were responsible for the failures.

Trench warfare within the festival committee resulted in cancellations in 1833, 1844, 1856 and 1857. The Great Depression stopped the train in 1931 and 1932. The Jecken in Cologne are considered weatherproof, but in 1868 the train had to be canceled due to bad weather. A day of mourning for the death of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV in 1861 caused empty streets in Cologne. And the procession and carnival were forbidden by the Prussians in 1830 and 1851 “because of abnormal merrymaking that was not unobjectionable from a police point of view”, but it may also be the result of quarrels within the “festivizing committee”. The only Rose Monday procession on a Sunday came about because of the Reichstag election in 1887 .

In the second Gulf War in 1991, when the Carnival Monday procession was canceled elsewhere out of sympathy and, for example, the Mainz and Düsseldorf residents renounced the procession and the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee also did not organize a procession, some Cologne residents spontaneously set off under the motto "Camels instead of bombs". On this occasion the ghost train was reintroduced.

Special features of the Cologne Carnival

"Bützchen" and "Alaaf"

One often hears the expression “bützen” or “being used”. These little kisses (" Bützchen " ) distributed with pursed lips are part of Cologne's carnival tradition and, as an expression of joy, are also allowed, or at least tolerated , towards strangers and notables such as police officers and mayors . The typical traditional fool call is " Kölle Alaaf ", originally a toast.

The Cologne carnival music

Music band of the Prince Guard (2006)

The musical repertoire, which in addition to popular hits like Der treue Husar ( Heinrich Frantzen , 1924) and modern carnival hits , also includes soft tones, is not only played and sung during the carnival season, but at various events throughout the year. The indestructible songs from the first half of the 20th century include, above all, the Krätze by Willi Ostermann , August Batzem , Karl Berbuer or Gerhard Jussenhoven . In Cologne Rosenmontagszug also is marching music played - often from bands that even come from neighboring countries.

The different days of the carnival week

Even if the carnival session on 11.11. the previous year begins, the so-called Carnival Week is the wedding of the foolish bustle in Cologne's Fasteleer . It is also called the time of the street carnival because you can find many costumed carnival jackets on the streets and many events take place on or on the street.

Thursday (Weiberfastnacht)

Street carnival in 1967

On Weiberfastnacht ( Kölsch : Wieverfastelovend ) the official street carnival begins at "11 am"; the main event with the mayor of Cologne and the Cologne triumvirate usually takes place on the Alter Markt in downtown Cologne. In many of Cologne's districts (the so-called Veedeln ) further celebrations for the opening of the street carnival take place; the best known are in Cologne-Nippes (Wilhelmplatz), Cologne-Ehrenfeld (in front of the district town hall) and in the southern inner city of Cologne (in front of the St. Severin Church on Severinstrasse ).

Before that, early in the morning around 7.30 a.m., after a train from the cathedral to the Hofburg, Bellejeck wakes up with his entourage of members of his carnival society, the “Grosse Allgemeine KG von 1900, Köln”, and many other fools with loud shouts “Opstonn” (get up ) and ringing the Cologne triumvirate.

Many companies organize their own carnival sessions or parties on Weiberfastnacht. Authorities, companies and shops remain partially closed or close earlier; many clubs, get-togethers, groups of friends and private individuals come together to celebrate. Already in the early morning the crowds pour into the old town and the southern part of the city; there the revelers party until late at night. The custom is popular throughout the day, in which the "jecken Wiever" (the crazy women) cut off men's ties. In general, Thursday belongs to women, hence the name Weiberfastnacht.

Traditionally, the "Reiter-Korps Jan von Werth von 1925 e. V. ”on Weiberfastnacht his“ Spell ahn d'r Vringspooz ”(game at Severinstorburg ); At around 2:30 p.m. the corps moved to the square in front of the Torburg on Chlodwigplatz and played the legend of " Jan un Griet ". Then the Reiter-Korps moves from Chlodwigplatz to Cologne's old town to the Alter Markt, accompanied by numerous carnival clubs. This procession is the first carnival procession in every session.

Carnival Friday

In addition to the many meetings that traditionally take place on Carnival Friday, there has been a major event in downtown Cologne since 1998 with the “Star March of the Cologne Veedelsvereine”. The participating groups of the Kölner Veedelszöch (part of the Kölner Schull- un Veedelszöch) move from the surrounding squares to the Alter Markt; there is celebrated with a colorful program and the performances of numerous carnival artists until late in the evening.

Carnival Friday 2011 in the old town

Carnival Saturday

On Carnival Saturday the spark bivouac of the Kölsche Funke rut-wiess vun 1823 e. Starts in the morning on Cologne's Neumarkt . V. At this event, so-called “spark rods ” ( Cologne rods on which the current order of the session is depicted) are sold. These glasses can then be filled with Kölsch free of charge at the beer stands during the event. In the afternoon, so-called “Veedelszöch”, ie carnival parades in Cologne's districts, start in numerous parts of the city. In the evening, in addition to the ghost parade , which has been taking place since 1991 and travels through the city on changing routes, mostly costume balls take place in the large halls.

Carnival Sunday

In addition to numerous “Veedelszöch” in Cologne's districts , the Cologne Schools and Veedelszöch take place on Carnival Sunday, also known as Tulip Sunday . These take a slightly different route than the Cologne Rose Monday procession , as a large carnival session is taking place in Gürzenich and the artists would otherwise not be able to reach the hall. In the evening there are again numerous carnival sessions.

Carnival Monday

The highlight of the carnival is Rose Monday . On this day, many shops and companies are closed by noon at the latest. Over a million people then line the route of the Cologne Rose Monday procession , which runs northwards from Chlodwigplatz through downtown Cologne. The train traditionally dissolves in Mohrenstrasse. Small parades also take place in a few districts.

Carnival Tuesday

On the last day of the carnival session, the revelers celebrate again in their districts at other “Veedelszöch”. The largest carnival parades take place in the districts of Cologne-Mülheim, -Nippes and -Ehrenfeld, where up to 200,000 colorfully costumed people line the roadside. Around midnight, the nubbel burning is carried out with great "solemnity" in front of many Cologne pubs in a ritual ceremony . The numerous “sins” committed during the carnival days are loaded onto a straw doll, the nubbel, and burned with the doll.

Ash Wednesday

Everything is over on Ash Wednesday , as the old songs proclaim. However, most carnival societies meet again on this day for the traditional fish meal at the beginning of Lent , but without make-up and in normal clothing. Many restaurants also join the custom with special offers. Catholics from Cologne go to early mass on Ash Wednesday and receive the traditional ash cross made from the burned consecrated “palm” branches from last year's Palm Sunday .

Carnival as an economic factor

In Cologne, the carnival generates an average total turnover of more than 460 million euros per carnival session, of which 165 million euros are attributable to gastronomy / hotels and 75 million euros to transport. The Cologne junkies spend around 85 million euros on their costumes. The city of Cologne and the surrounding municipalities collect up to five million euros in additional business taxes around the carnival in a few weeks . According to the Institute of German Economy , the Cologne Carnival is a significant commercial economic factor to be taken seriously, because 3,000 companies supply the fools, and 15 companies only produce carnival paraphernalia. Every year 330 tons of sweets, 700,000 bars of chocolate and 220,000 boxes of chocolates pelt down on the people. The carnival is mainly financed by sponsors, income from events and donations, as the public coffers can hardly support the carnival. With 480 clubs, Cologne is the carnival stronghold. 1.5 million visitors come especially for the carnival, especially Belgians, French and Dutch; The total income in the city budget amounts to around 8 million euros. According to a study by the management consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG) on behalf of the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee , the Cologne Carnival in 2008 contributed to the maintenance of around 5,000 jobs in the region. According to BCG, the taxi drivers alone carried carnivalists 540,000 times to the locations of the celebrations. Around 957,000 bar visitors brought the innkeepers a turnover of almost 48 million euros.

literature

  • Peter Fuchs, Max-Leo Schwering: Cologne Carnival. On the cultural history of Carnival. Greven Verlag, Cologne 1972, ISBN 3-7743-0089-5 .
  • Wolfgang Herborn: The history of the Cologne Carnival from the beginning to 1600. Hildesheim / Zurich / New York: Georg Olms, 2009 (publications of the Cologne City Museum, vol. 10). ISBN 978-3-487-14209-8 .
  • Carl Dietmar & Marcus Leifeld: "Alaaf and Heil Hitler". Carnival in the Third Reich. Herbig, Munich 2009, ISBN 3-7766-2630-5 (focus: Rhineland).
  • Johann Baptist Stoll: Cologne Carneval as it was, is and will be: Consecration for the Cologne a. all friends of folk festivals . Renard, Cologne 1840 ( digitized version )
  • Heribert A. Hilgers : Alaaf, a Kölner Hochruf , Greven Verlag, Cologne 2014, ISBN 978-3-774-30427-7 .

Web links

Commons : Cologne Carnival  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ hostelbookers, Top 10 Destinations for Carnival 2013, accessed on November 7, 2013 ( archived copy ( memento of the original from September 8, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / blog-de.hostelbookers.com
  2. ↑ join my trip, The Top 10 Carnival Strongholds of the World, accessed on November 7, 2013 ( [1] )
  3. ↑ koeln.de, the start of the carnival season on 11/11. accessed on November 7, 2013 ( [2] )
  4. ↑ Festival Committee of the Cologne Carnival, Calendar 2012/13, accessed on November 7, 2013 ( archived copy ( Memento from November 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ))
  5. ^ [3] Landschaftsverband_Rheinland - Summary on Wolfgang Herborn: The history of the Cologne Carnival from the beginning to 1600. Hildesheim / Zurich / New York: Georg Olms, 2009 (publications of the Cologne City Museum, vol. 10). ISBN 978-3-487-14209-8 .
  6. ↑ Peter Fuchs, Max Leo Schwering: Cologne Carnival. On the cultural history of Carnival. Volume 1, Greven Verlag, Cologne 1972, ISBN 3-7743-0089-5 , p. 31.
  7. ^ Ernst Weyden : Cologne on the Rhine fifty years ago, moral images together with historical references and linguistic explanations. (1862), reissued unchanged under the title Köln am Rhein one hundred and fifty years ago. Morals together with historical references and linguistic explanations and provided with an afterword by Max Leo Schwering, Greven Verlag, Cologne 1960, p. 137 and note 1, p. 199.
  8. ↑ Peter Fuchs, Max Leo Schwering: Cologne Carnival. On the cultural history of Carnival. Volume 1, Greven Verlag, Cologne 1972, ISBN 3-7743-0089-5 , pp. 25-38.
  9. ↑ For the following cf. Digital edition project with historical and linguistic analysis of the records of the Cologne citizen Hermann Weinsberg (1518–1597) at the University of Bonn (accessed on April 20, 2013) .
  10. ^ Ernst Weyden : Cologne on the Rhine fifty years ago, moral images together with historical references and linguistic explanations. (1862), reissued unchanged under the title Köln am Rhein one hundred and fifty years ago. Morals together with historical references and linguistic explanations and provided with an afterword by Max Leo Schwering, Greven Verlag, Cologne 1960, p. 137.
  11. ↑ Peter Fuchs, Max-Leo Schwering: Cologne Carnival. On the cultural history of Carnival. Greven Verlag, Cologne 1972, ISBN 3-7743-0089-5 , p. 8.
  12. ↑ Peter Fuchs, Max Leo Schwering: Cologne Carnival. On the cultural history of Carnival. Volume 1, Greven Verlag, Cologne 1972, ISBN 3-7743-0089-5 , pp. 54-92; Manfred Becker-Huberti : Celebrations, festivals, seasons. Living customs all year round. Herder-Verlag, Freiburg-Basel-Wien 2001, ISBN 3-451-27702-6 , p. 203.
  13. ↑ Human - knowledge. In: Focus Online . October 14, 2018, accessed October 14, 2018 .
  14. ↑ History: The Carnival Monday procession motto since 1823 in Kölner Husaren Koprs (Ed.): Sessionsheft 2013/2014 ; Cologne 2013
  15. ^ Carl Dietmar : When women became beer coaches. In the second year of the war, the consequences of the labor shortage can be felt all over the city in the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger from August 14, 2014
  16. ↑ Peter Fuchs, Max-Leo Schwering: Cologne Carnival. On the cultural history of Carnival. Greven Verlag, Cologne 1972, ISBN 3-7743-0089-5 , p. 84.
  17. ↑ Ähzebär un Ko eV: The ghost trains so far (accessed February 22, 2014)
  18. ↑ koelner-karneval-info: Dat Bützje ; Aachener Zeitung: Bützen allowed
  19. ^ Carnival music, Kölsche Karnevalsmusik in the Cologne Carnival Archived copy ( Memento from August 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  20. ↑ http://www.report-k.de/Titelthemen/Sternmarsch-Koeln-2017-Ablauf-und-Programm-zum-20-jaehrigen-Jubilaeum-71040
  21. ↑ Koelner Karneval, Carnival procession in the city quarters, accessed on November 6, 2013 ( [4] )
  22. ↑ koelner-karneval-info: nubbel burning
  23. ↑ Ash Wednesday at koelner-karneval.info
  24. ↑ Billionaire Carnival , Deutsche Welle, February 7, 2013.
  25. ↑ IdW edition 9/2003
  26. ↑ a b Helene Klauser, Cologne Carnival between Uniform and Lifestyle , 2007, p. 156 f.
  27. ^ Economic factor carnival , Deutsche Welle from February 20, 2007.
  28. ↑ The billion dollar business with the carnival , FOCUS online Money from February 20, 2012.