Carnival, Mardi Gras and Mardi Gras strongholds
As for amusement or Fastnachts- or carnival stronghold is known areas where traditional, carnival, carnival or carnival is celebrated in particular. These can be regions , cities , but also municipalities . Carnival-like structures of masking, dressing up and ritualized exuberance can be found in all cultures.
Europe
Germany
Rhineland including Rheinhessen
In carnival, especially in the Rhenish regions, the Prince Carnival's assumption of power is linked to the proclamation of freedom from kissing, which symbolically stands for the beginning of dissolute, immoral and virtuous life during the “5th Season ”, which begins there on November 11th and ends on Ash Wednesday . As an exception, Mainz can be seen here, where on 11.11. the number 11 is celebrated and the campaign traditionally on 01.01. begins. The Fastnacht and Carnival strongholds in Germany are the Rhineland including Rheinhessen : Aachen , Andernach , Bendorf , Bonn , Duisburg , Düsseldorf , Erftstadt , Eschweiler , Euskirchen , Heimbach-Weis , Herschbach , Kleve , Koblenz , Cologne , Kottenheim , Krefeld , Landau in the Palatinate , Mainz , Mayen , Mönchengladbach , Monheim , Neuss , Straelen , Trier , Polch , Wiesbaden , Wipperfürth .
The gardens in Carnival and Fassenacht were supposed to parody the military with their uniforms and fantasy medals, but they quickly developed into status symbols.
A special feature in Mainz is the “political-literary meeting carnival”. The peculiarities of the Mainz Fassenacht have nothing to do with French models of the revolution. Rather, a large part is inspired by the organized Cologne Carnival from 1823, the establishment of the Mainz Carnival Association in 1838 took place for reasons similar to that in Cologne, and also led to a return to traditional traditions. The eleven has been known as the number of fools for many centuries; it is a sinful number because, going beyond the “Decalogue”, it stands outside of the ten commandments. Similar to the fool's cap, in numerous variations quite apart from a "Phrygian cap", has also been known with variations for centuries. The fools never thought of the example of the Jacobin cap, there is not the slightest evidence for this, is goal-oriented conjecture. In the “Narrhalla” of 1843, any connection with the “blood-red cap” was clearly excluded. In the meetings from 1838, even before Zitz, there were literary political hand-made speeches, but also kokolores - only it looked different from what we are used to today. Well-known figures in the political “polished” speech are the chief of protocol or Bajazz and Till . The speeches are usually rhymed. During the National Socialist era, besides National Socialist, partly anti-Semitic hand-made speeches, there were also clearly recognizable critical contributions. Seppel Glückert, at that time one of the best-known and most popular speakers, was able to allow himself one or the other system-critical passage in his lectures, one did not dare to speak to him. The same was true of Martin Mundo.
The unorganized and extravagant carnival in the Rhineland repeatedly led to considerable impairments, hooliganism and alcohol-related attacks. The old customs were deprived or forgotten. The contemporary witnesses describe the rawness and scandalization of the carnival, which only the masks reminded of. And now they had a different purpose than the role reversal. With the founding of the first carnival societies and the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee in 1823, the Cologne Carnival was steered into more regular channels. In Aachen this happened in 1829 with the establishment of the Florresei (today the Aachen Carnival Committee, AAK) . As a result, the organized Rhenish Carnival came into being in its present form, with a prince, meetings and organized parades. The “Jeisterzoch” (“ ghost train ”) has been celebrated in Cologne since 1992 to commemorate the rebellious tradition of the carnival and the old cult around the winter spirit “Ähzebär” (“pea bear”). In Bonn-Beuel , since the women's committee was founded in 1824, the “washer princess” has been chosen, who then storms the town hall on Weiberfastnacht together with other Möhnen .
As a symbol of the foolish time, some carnival clubs have a triumvirate , a carnival prince , a prince couple or a prince with a master of ceremonies .
Hesse
The largest carnival parade in Hesse is the Frankfurt parade, which is organized annually by the Grand Council of Frankfurt Carnival Associations on Shrove Sunday. In 2005 6,108 people took part in this move. There were also 51 guards, 38 chapels and marching bands, 775 minstrels and 66 horses. 450,000 people attended the event and there were just as many on the screens during the live broadcast of the Hessischer Rundfunk . On Shrove Tuesday, the foolish hustle and bustle in Frankfurt comes to a final highlight with the carnival parade in Heddernheim , the so-called Klaa Paris .
In addition to Frankfurt am Main and Wiesbaden , Fulda is another carnival stronghold. The Fulder Foaset can look back on over 500 years of tradition. The highlight every year is the Fulda Rose Monday procession , which is traditionally the largest in all of Hesse . In 2017 he set a new record with 240 train numbers and 4,100 active members. The motif wagons with 28 chapels, 170 foot groups and 10 horses pushed through the city center for more than five kilometers for three hours. With around 70,000 visitors, more spectators saw the Carnival Monday procession live than Fulda has residents.
Another crowd puller in the South Hesse region is the Rose Monday procession in Seligenstadt . The crowd eight call themselves "Schlumber" there.
In Ober-Mörlen in the Wetterau, the "Klein Mainz on the Usastrand", the traditional Mardi Gras parade with 111 train numbers takes place on Shrove Tuesday. The Ober-Mörler Fassenacht has been celebrated since 1753 and is known nationwide. On average, around 35,000 visitors attend the carnival parade; in 2007 the visitor record of around 50,000 visitors was achieved. This made the Ober-Mörler carnival procession on that day one of the largest trains in Hesse and the largest in the Wetterau. The figure of Mohr von Mörlau, a carnival figure that originated from the municipal coat of arms, is unique .
The Carnival Association Dieburg 1838 e. V. (KVD) is Germany's largest carnival association in the “Bund Deutscher Karneval e. V. “(BDK). The Dieburger Fastnacht finds its first historical mention in 1508. Thus, in 2008, the 500th anniversary of Carnival was celebrated. The Mardi Gras procession on Mardi Gras is followed by up to 100,000 spectators. The city is also known nationwide for its street carnival on the evening of Shrove Saturday and Rose Monday around the market square and the carnival fountain.
A special form of the Rose Monday procession takes place every year in Herbstein . In a tradition that has been going on since 1672 there is a jumping procession in which the male youth - they jump both the male and female role - with a special jump through the place. The origin is traced back to Tyrolean influences that Tyrolean farm workers brought to the small town in East Hesse during the reconstruction after the Thirty Years War.
Not to forget the carnival hustle and bustle in the Rheingau and the rest of the Nassauer Land . On the Shrovetide weekend there are parades from Saturday to Tuesday. After the individual villages storm the town halls on Weiberfastnacht and take the keys from the mayor, the hustle and bustle begins. The most important and well-known beyond the region are the carnival parades in Rüdesheim am Rhein (Carnival Saturday), alternating between Geisenheim- Marienthal , Geisenheim- Johannisberg and Aulhausen , and annually in Beselich-Obertiefenbach (Carnival Sunday). Also in Assmannshausen (Rose Monday).
Westphalia
The Muenster and Muensterland Carnivals are important for Westphalia . Particular carnival strongholds there are the city of Beckum with four (Weiberfastnacht, two on Carnival Sunday and Rose Monday) and the Recke community with two parades, one in the Obersteinbeck district with around 10,000 visitors and a Rose Monday parade in Recke itself, which attracts more than 30,000 jockeys.
In Steinfurt , in the Borghorst district, the carnival parade, which is very popular throughout the Münsterland , takes place on Rose Sunday. Many tens of thousands of visitors watch this spectacle, which ends in the festival tents late at night. One day later the children's carnival parade rolls around on Rose Monday in the Burgsteinfurt district, in which many carnival floats from neighboring Holland take part every year.
Only a few kilometers away from Steinfurt, Bevergern celebrates one of the most traditional carnival festivals of all. It has been proven that the small castle town has been celebrating carnival for over 400 years. The highlight here is also the Carnival Monday parade. From 10.11 a.m. onwards, tens of thousands of visitors will make a pilgrimage to the small town with around 4500 inhabitants.
The city of Bocholt has one of the largest parades with over 100,000 visitors .
With the carnival association “KG Kitt von 1834 e. V. “ one of the oldest parades in the Münsterland takes place in Olfen (Coesfeld district). This is traditionally held on Violet Tuesday, in Olfen they say Carnation Tuesday. Up to 40,000 visitors then flock to the small town on the Stever . There is also a state of emergency on the other days: from Weiberfastnacht to Ash Wednesday there is a party. There is also the “small parade” on Carnival Sunday. The prince's carriage, the Elferratwagen and the prince's carriage, accompanied by the entire club, drive part of the long train route. On Ash Wednesday, the “Bacchus” is traditionally “cremated” on the festival meadow.
The annual carnival parade in Gescher (Borken district) with the shout “Gescher Helau!” Traditionally takes place two weeks before Rose Monday. This old tradition is based on the "forty-hour prayer", which was put on Rose Monday in many places in the Münsterland in the 19th century in order to counteract the carnival. The Gescheraner, however, circumvented this restriction by moving the move forward. Even if the forty-hour prayer no longer takes place on Rose Monday, this tradition has been preserved in Gescher over the decades.
In Ottmarsbocholt , carnival is always celebrated a week before Carnival Saturday. The parade takes place on Sunday and attracts many visitors.
A Rose Monday procession has been taking place in Hattingen-Holthausen since February 21, 1977, accompanied by over 30,000 enthusiastic fools.
The carnival also has a long tradition in East Westphalia. The first recorded Rose Monday procession took place in Rietberg as early as 1881. This tradition continues. At the Rose Monday procession, 40,000 spectators watch the Rose Monday procession with its 2,000 active members.
In Steinheim (Westphalia) , too , the tradition of the carnival has been extensively celebrated for decades with a Rose Monday procession that is well known far beyond the city limits and is very well attended year after year. Although the Steinheim carnival association “StKG Steinheim” was not founded until 1936, the first Rose Monday procession of the modern era took place in 1911, at that time under the leadership of the “MGV Harmonie” choir.
For many people living there, the South Westphalian Carnival is the epitome of happiness and exuberance. A large number of societies and associations were founded in these, dedicated to the promotion and preservation of carnival customs. For example, the Schönau-Altenwendi carnival association founded in 1966. In Wenden-Schönau , a place with a little more than 1,400 souls, more than 10,000 fools gather every year on Rose Monday to witness the Rose Monday parade there. In addition to the Carnival Monday parade, this association has been celebrating its tent carnival for almost 50 years (prince proclamation - the first Saturday after November 11th, Indian meeting and ceremonial meeting) and is a carnival stronghold in the southernmost fool's tip in Westphalia.
The Teutoburg Forest region also has special carnival features: In Beverungen in the Höxter district, for example, the big Rose Monday parade leads through two federal states. The train starts in Lauenförde on the Lower Saxony side of the Weser . It then leads over the Weser Bridge, where the border with North Rhine-Westphalia is crossed, to Beverungen.
A very young tradition of celebrating Carnival has also existed in Paderborn since 2004 .
The carnival in the Ruhr area , especially in Wattenscheid , is also enjoying growing popularity and in some cases a long tradition .
Northwest and north
One week earlier, on Sunday and Dammer Rose Monday, the largest carnival parades take place in the town of Damme in the Vechta district . In contrast to most of the other northern German carnival strongholds , Damme, located in the traditionally Roman Catholic Oldenburger Münsterland , has a long carnival tradition . The Dammer Carnevalsgesellschaft was founded in 1614. In 2006, 250 groups with a total of over 9,000 people took part. From this point of view, the Dammer Carnival parades are the largest in northern Germany and among the largest in Germany as a whole. On Saturday evening and after the parades, the celebration will continue in innumerable marquees, pubs and locations specially prepared for the Carneval (underground car parks, converted shops, etc.) in the city center.
The Braunschweig carnival parade on the Sunday before Rose Monday is one of the longest parades in northern Germany . In 2005 it attracted more than 250,000 visitors; in 2006, despite bad weather, there were around 200,000 visitors and almost 4,000 participants (including 52 music trains). In 2010, however, there were only around 100,000 visitors in cold weather and snow. In 2014 300,000 visitors celebrated. In 2015, the Braunschweig carnival parade was canceled shortly before it began due to indications of an impending terrorist attack. For some time, attempts have been made to underpin the carnival event historically by establishing a connection to the so-called Schoduvel . The Middle Low German word Schoduvel means something like (scare away) the devil . It was a medieval form of carnival, which was first mentioned in 1293 in the Braunschweiger Stadtbuch . However, there has not been an uninterrupted carnival tradition in Braunschweig since then.
On the weekend before Shrove Monday, the “ Carnival around the Ring ” parade takes place in Ganderkesee . Nowadays, more than 130 floats, foot groups and musical trains parade through Ganderkesee on what is now a classic-historical route. The number of participants is well over 3,500. When the weather is good, the number of visitors is up to 70,000, in 2010 when it was blowing snow it was only 30,000.
Around 50,000 spectators attend the traditional " Ossensamstag " - a carnival parade on the Saturday before Rose Monday in Osnabrück .
On Saturday after November 11th, the Hanover Carnival opens with the storming of the town hall and the proclamation meeting of the prince couple. Hanover's largest carnival association, the Lindener Narren, will celebrate the opening of the carnival on November 11th, where the “Narrenotto” prize will be awarded. In the period from January to February there are numerous carnival events, including pomp and gala pruning sessions, costume sales and children's carnival celebrations of the Hanoverian carnival clubs. So-called “stunk meetings” also take place during this period, where the satirical prize “stunk” is awarded. In addition, the Lower Saxony Tollities Summit has been held since 2015 and the Kaju-Hansel tournament with around 3,000 dancers since 1976. The tournament is a federally open qualification tournament and the Lower Saxony championship in carnival dance. On Weiberfastnacht the fools storm the town hall and the state chancellery, and in the evenings there are several parties. Since 1992 there has been a carnival parade on the Saturday before Shrove Monday. Around 1,500 carnivalists, including 10 chapels and around 20 floats and convertibles, make up a 2-kilometer-long procession. The parade leads through the city center and ends at the Ernst-August brewery, where an “after-train party” is then held. Up to 100,000 people come to the Hanover Carnival Parade every year. The city's largest Rose Monday party takes place in the Ernst-August brewery. The carnival ends on Ash Wednesday with the wallet washing at the Maschsee . The Hanoverian carnival tradition can be traced back to the year 1395, but there is no uninterrupted carnival tradition in Hanover. There will be twelve carnival clubs in Hanover in 2020.
In some northern German communities, between Hamburg and Lüneburg , especially in the villages of Toppenstedt , Pattensen , Hoopte and Stöckte , a custom similar to the carnival is celebrated under the term Faslam , but it is not linked to the actual carnival date. The highlight of the Faslam is a large parade with many groups of feet and carts, from which alcohol is served to the audience and sweets are distributed. The self-financed and self-designed costumes and floats of the foot and float groups create a very personal charm and character of the parades. The Stöckter parade attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year, making it the largest Faslam parade in northern Germany.
Every year on November 11th, the members of the Narrenakademie open the session in Dülken on the Lower Rhine with a ride around the Narrenmühle . Here they ride on hobby horses . In the Steinfurt district in the old titular town of Bevergern (today Hörstel ), Mardi Gras has been celebrated since 1599. From a donation of beer from the two mayors of the city to the poor, the Rose Monday procession developed in the 19th and 20th centuries. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the procession has taken place on Shrove Monday from 10:11 am; there are also around 5,000 spectators. The day before, a carnival newspaper is sold, which was first printed in the 1920s. On Violet Tuesday at 2:11 p.m., the carnival dude is burned in public. The women's carnival festival has been integrated for a good 20 years. A ceremonial meeting takes place one week before Shrove Monday. The Carnival Prince is elected on Death Sunday in November. At his side there is the Türkenmariechen, which takes its name from the former swear word of the Bevergerner. On Rose Monday, the prince drives through the town on a prince's carriage, an open staircase. The car comes from Bonn, where it was used until 1953. The carnival association is called Carnival Community Bevergern (KGB).
In Bremen , too, a carnival tradition has developed since 1986 with a steadily increasing number of participants. The groups taking part in the Bremen Carnival are - not only, but the majority - Samba groups who travel to the carnival parade and to their own performances in Bremen pubs and venues from all over Germany and, in recent years, increasingly from other countries. In addition, groups of mask players and costumed stilt walkers can be seen. Both in terms of the overall appearance and the date of the move (on Saturday one week before the Rose Monday parade), the Bremen Carnival differs from the Rhenish one. It is more influenced by the South American, but also by the Swiss carnival tradition. The parade starts at 12 noon on the market square with a small theater play, from there it moves to the Steintorviertel , where it usually ends in smaller samba sessions. Parallel to the carnival weekend, the "Freinacht der Masken" (Free Night of Masks) takes place every two years (most recently in 2006), during which the Bremen walls are transformed with light, music and fairytale backdrops into an open-air stage for wandering groups of improvising maskers. The Bremen Carnival is organized by the “Bremen Carnival Initiative”. This also determines the carnival motto, which changes annually (2008: "Delicatessen", 2009: "ROT"), which is interpreted by the participating groups with their costumes in a wide variety of ways.
In addition, there are smaller carnival events in some northern German villages such as Lastrup near Cloppenburg and Riede in the Verden district .
southwest
In the south-west of Germany, forms of medieval carnival were preserved under the term “ Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht ”, as they existed before the Cologne association was founded. In contrast to the Rhenish Carnival, the Swabian-Alemannic Carnival does not start on November 11, but on January 6, the Epiphany . The oldest carnival can be found today in Elzach , Waldkirch, Konstanz , Oberndorf am Neckar , Rottenburg am Neckar , Rottweil , Schömberg , Überlingen and Villingen . In Aulendorf , the carnival goes back to a decree granted by Count Eusebius Antonius von Königsegg-Aulendorf in 1629. There , fools masked with fabric and wooden masks jump through the streets of their city , especially on the fat Thursday , on Shrovetide Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. In Möhringen , which is known nationwide above all for its schematic court, the carnival goes back to the year 1350. The fools guild was founded in 1549. The custom of targeting is particularly widespread in mountainous regions . Burning wooden discs fly with their tails through the night sky, creating ghostly lights.
The old costumes and traditions of the Alemannic carnival are also documented in museums , for example in the Narrenmuseum in Kenzingen , in the Narrenschopf in Bad Dürrheim , in the Fasnachtsmuseum Schloss Langenstein or in the German Carnival Museum .
However, not the whole southwest area is Alemannic Fasnet. Parts of the Saarland , the Palatinate and North Baden (especially Mannheim and Karlsruhe) also celebrate the Rhenish Carnival, which is called "Fas (t) Nacht / Fasenacht" here and sometimes uses the battle cry "Ahoy" in the Palatinate / Kurpfalz. In Mannheim / Ludwigshafen on Shrove Sunday and in Karlsruhe on Shrove Tuesday (proven since 1841) there are also very large parades. The so-called “political-literary meeting carnival”, which is derived from the French Revolution and dates back to the pre-March period, is also partly maintained there.
Saarwellingen , which is considered the Fastnacht stronghold of the Saarland, knows a form of Fastnacht related to the Alemannic and other tradition, here (as in large parts of the Saarland) called Faasend . The foolish hustle and bustle begins on the so-called Fat Thursday or Greesentag , the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. On this day, the men wear the clothes of their grandmothers (hence the word Grees , which is probably derived from old woman ) and thus go through the city to play little pranks on unrecognized unpopular fellow citizens. The highlight of the evening is the storming of the town hall by the Greesen and the arrest of the mayor, after which all of Saarwellingen is in the hands of the 'old women' until Ash Wednesday. The origin of this custom is not clear; In any case, it is mentioned in a document as early as 1624. The two largest Rose Monday parades in Saarland can be found in Saarbrücken-Burbach with more than 200,000 visitors and in Neunkirchen (Saar) , with more than 100,000 visitors, which means that the number of inhabitants has doubled.
Franconia and South Thuringia
A carnival tradition very similar to the Rhenish carnival has established itself in Main Franconia . The Würzburg carnival parade, documented as early as the 18th century, with up to 200,000 visitors on Mardi Gras Sunday, is the only large carnival parade with floats, motif floats and camel throwing in Germany outside of the Rhineland (accordingly extensive reporting on Bavarian radio ). The Heidingsfeld procession on Shrove Tuesday is a smaller, more popular version of the Würzburg procession. There is a similar carnival procession in Schweinfurt on the same day . In the Main-Spessart district, 60 to 80 groups and motif wagons pull through the district town of Karlstadt on Shrove Sunday; The much smaller Rieneck has about the same number of groups on Meadow Tuesday and around 10,000 visitors at the top, which is five times the number of residents. Not least because of this, the Spessart town is considered a carnival stronghold. Most places in Main Franconia also have their own carnival societies that organize smaller parades during the carnival season.
In beer Franconia, the carnival strongholds Coburg , Lichtenfels (the cradle of the Franconian carnival movement), Nuremberg and Stadtsteinach (Stanicher Fasching) should be mentioned. Another highlight of the Franconian Carnival are the ceremonial meetings , which are also organized by the carnival societies of the individual communities. The most famous Franconian meeting is the “ Fastnacht in Franconia ” in Veitshöchheim , which is organized by the Franconian Fastnacht Association and also broadcast by Bavarian Radio.
In Uettingen a tradition has developed in which two competing fraternities used to march through the village on Shrove Tuesday and recite the events of the year and the misdeeds of the other fraternity in rhyme form on horseback. Today, during the annual carnival parade, the Uettinger youth sell a carnival newspaper that continues this tradition. In addition, the wave of carnival balls spilled over to Würzburg from the south (see below ).
Wasungen on the Werra in southern Thuringia is one of the central German carnival strongholds. The carnival in Wasungen has been recorded since 1524 and is one of the oldest in Germany. At that time, according to an old city bill, carnival games were taking place on the market square in Wasungen and the mayor bought the participants a bucket of beer. The highlight of the carnival season is the Great Historical Parade, which takes place on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday. The Wasung Carnival has a number of peculiarities that distinguish it from the other carnival strongholds: There is no pair of princes, but only one prince. At his side are two female pages, the "Höpfer" (hopper) and his foolish entourage. The prince's reign begins on Carnival Saturday immediately before the Great Historical Parade, during which he “appears before his foolish people” for the first time, and ends on November 11th of the following year. The battle cry of the Wasung fools is “Woesinge Ahoi” (Wasungen Ahoi).
Besides Wasungen, there are also many carnival clubs in southern Thuringia (Thuringian Rhön and Grabfeld). A stronghold in the grave field is Römhild . Carnival has been celebrated here since 1928, although according to oral tradition the carnival is said to be significantly older. The season opens in Römhild on November 11th, with the current prince couple and the motto of the respective campaign being presented. The ceremonial meetings begin about four weekends before Rose Monday. The grand finale of the carnival takes place on the weekend before Ash Wednesday, i.e. on Saturday, Sunday and Rose Monday with costume balls. On Sunday at 1:30 p.m., the big parade goes through Römhild, in which many associations from the grave field (Behrungen, Berkach, Gleichamberg, Milz, Jüchsen, and Mendhausen) are involved. A small parade for the children will be carried out on Rose Monday and on Ash Wednesday everything will be over in the Grabfeldstadt. The battle cry "Römmeld - Helau".
Candlemas (Carnival) is celebrated in Jüchsen, the prominent date here being the Candlemas on February 2nd. The battle cry "Lichtmeß - Ohe".
Mendhausen has an elven council in the otherwise male-dominated domain.
Bavaria
Munich:
The Munich carnival has established its own tradition, that of the indoor carnival with carnival balls . In Munich the ceremonial meetings usual elsewhere are missing. For this purpose, carnival balls organized by companies and schools are sometimes celebrated. The Munich carnival balls are reminiscent of the costume balls of past centuries in debauchery and equipment. In the film " Kehraus ", the Munich carnival in its eccentricity and nihilism is a memorial.
A large carnival procession passed through the city center until 1970. After the construction of the inner-city pedestrian zone in the following year, this could no longer be carried out. Only smaller parades, such as a small children's parade in Schwabing or the "Gaudiwurm" of Feringa on the last Mardi Gras Sunday through Johanneskirchen / Oberföring took place. It was not until 2006 that the tradition of the carnival parade was revived by the association "Die damischen Ritter". A route a few hundred meters north of the traditional route between Odeonsplatz and Stiglmaierplatz was chosen. The installation begins in the courtyard garden of the Munich residence and ends with the move into the Löwenbräukeller . In the first year after the reintroduction, a parade with 30 cars and 20,000 spectators was carried out. In the following year, 60 cars and 30,000 spectators took part in this parade. In the third edition in 2008, 24 cars and 7,000 spectators took part. Since the parade traditionally takes place a week before Tulip Sunday , this year it fell on the day of commemoration of the victims of National Socialism , which was criticized on various occasions and led to a lower participation. In the following year, with 34 cars and around 10,000 spectators, things went up again.
Dietfurt: The Dietfurt Chinese Carnival is a nationally known carnival in Dietfurt an der Altmühl in Bavaria .
The Chinese Carnival has been celebrated in Dietfurt since 1954 and goes back to the term "Chinese", which is sometimes popularly used by the people of Dietfurt. Its origin is unknown: a legend has it that the Dietfurters holed up behind their city walls in the late Middle Ages when the episcopal tax collector came from Eichstätt. He immediately reported to the Bishop of Eichstätt that the Dietfurters were hiding behind their great wall and therefore doing it like the Chinese. In a calendar sheet from the year 1860 the Dietfurters are also referred to as Chinese, in a scientific article in the Eichstätter Pastoralblatt the area around Dietfurt is given as the Chinese Quarter in 1869. The carnival parade takes place on Nonsensical Thursday (Weiberfasching). Around 50 groups take part in the carnival procession and around 20,000–30,000 spectators. Then carnival in town until the next day.
Saxony
With the elimination of Ash Wednesday after the Reformation in the 16th century, the carnival tradition in Saxony died out in some parts of the country.
It was preserved z. B. in Wittichenau ( Sorbian : Kulow), where a more than 300-year carnival tradition can be proven. Also in the southern Upper Lusatia (Southeast Saxony), an archaic form of carnival has been preserved, the lightning going . Similar to the Basel Carnival , the body is unrecognizable and the face is covered with a larva . A group of masked light walkers silently moves to a host who has previously been informed of the visit by an anonymous message and who now has to entertain the group. He has to guess who is hiding behind the disguise. In order to make this easier, the room is traditionally very well heated so that the people who walk in the light can take off their clothes as voluntarily as possible.
Otherwise, the carnival in Saxony - for lack of its own roots - is heavily based on Rhenish models. Saxony's carnival stronghold is Radeburg . Every year since 1958, on the Sunday before Shrove Monday, Saxony's largest street parade with up to 120 parade groups and over 3,000 participants takes place, often with 50,000 and more visitors (Radeburg's core city has 5,000 inhabitants). The carnival begins on November 11th with the takeover of the town hall key by the Elferrat. A prince couple rules the foolish people until Ash Wednesday. The market square is covered on the great days. Thousands of fools celebrate here. The battle cry of the Radeburgers is "Ra-Bu!"
Also noteworthy is the ski and ice cream carnival in Geising , a spectacle that annually attracts thousands to the Ore Mountains on the Sunday before Shrove Monday . A trademark of the Geisinger carnival was the carnival jumping from the ski jump, which unfortunately was torn down. In snowy years, countless snow and ice figures lined the streets. Due to the repeated lack of snow, the battle cry "Pitsche, Patsche Nass, Nass, Nass" was formed. For the Rose Monday ball they visit the befriended carnival club in Fürstenwalde . In the former Weißeritzkreis ( Altkreis Freital ) there is a unique cohesion of 14 carnival associations, which carry out a carnival parade every two years. In addition, a tour of the hall is carried out every year, which means that all 14 halls are approached and examined. In the old Weißeritzkreis in Freital , Pesterwitz , Wurgwitz , Somsdorf , Rabenau , Kleinopitz , Bannewitz , Possendorf , Goppeln , Mohorn , Kesselsdorf , Wilsdruff , Kurort Hartha and Tharandt the carnival is celebrated.
A specialty of the carnival, the Leipzig student carnival, has developed in the university city of Leipzig . One of the oldest carnival clubs in Germany is the Ba-Hu-Fasching at the HTWK Leipzig, which celebrates its 56th season on November 11, 2009. The Rose Sunday parade is also located in Leipzig.
Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin
The main focus of the carnival in Brandenburg is Cottbus with the largest East German carnival parade and the Rhinland, located northwest of Berlin. In the Rhinland landscape region along the river Rhin , the carnival associations RCC eV in Rheinsberg ( fool's call : Rhin Helau!), The Voluntary Carnival Club eV in Lindow (Mark) (fool's call: Lindow Helau!), The NCC eV in Neuruppin (fool's call: Ruppin Helau!), The FKK eV in Fehrbellin (fools call: Rhinland Alaaf!) And the KCK in Kremmen (fools call: Kremmen Helau!) Mardi Gras and Carnival are celebrated. In Eberswalde , carnival is celebrated in parallel ( Eberswalder carnival days ).
Saxony-Anhalt's strongholds in the street carnival are Köthen and Dessau-Roßlau . In Köthen, the 1. Köthener Carnival Society 1954 e. V. (better known as KUKAKÖ ) to bring up to 180 moving groups around 5000 participants and around 60,000 spectators to the streets of Köthen every Rose Monday. The State Carnival Association of Saxony-Anhalt has 192 member associations with around 16,000 members. After the federal government moved to Berlin , the carnival parade was reintroduced there too (“Berlin, heijo!”). It doesn't take place every year. In 2018 he was canceled due to organizational difficulties.
Schleswig-Holstein
By far the most well-known stronghold in Schleswig-Holstein, which is otherwise rather carnival -poor, is in the tranquil Marne (around 5600 inhabitants) in Dithmarschen , where the motto Marn hol almost (something like "Marne holds together") is celebrated (the usual battle cry in northern Germany is Ahoy ). The highlight is the procession on Rose Monday, when up to 20,000 onlookers arrive to be pelted with 4000 kilograms of sweets from 60 motif floats of the almost one kilometer long carnival procession (as of 2012). Like most of the other Schleswig-Holstein carnivalists, the Marners are organized in the North German Carnival Association (NKV). The association has over 30 member clubs, 13 of them in the state capital of Kiel and four in the smaller carnival stronghold of Neumünster . The notable strongholds in rural areas with several hundred participants include places such as Moorrege (Pinneberg district) or Mildstedt (North Friesland).
Austria
In Austria , Mardi Gras is celebrated in the form of Gschnasen and parades, in many places there are Mardi Gras sessions. One of the largest and most famous takes place in Villach (see Villacher Fasching ).
In addition, the carnival season is also ball time . In the last weeks of Mardi Gras you can go to a ball in Vienna almost every day, which is often organized by university institutes , student associations or dance schools . The socially most important event is the Vienna Opera Ball , which attracts celebrities of all degrees of seriousness.
In Tyrol (e.g. Fiss , Imst , Umhausen , Telfs or Nassereith ) a carnival similar to the Swabian-Alemannic carnival is celebrated every three to five years . Every year in Bad Aussee in Styria there is a parade of figures whose costumes are strongly reminiscent of those of the Commedia dell'arte . The Fetzenfasching in Ebensee , Upper Austria is also well known.
Mardi Gras is extremely present in Vorarlberg . The largest parade in Vorarlberg takes place every year one week before Mardi Gras Sunday in Feldkirch . Further on in the calendar, the Schmutziga or Gumpiga Donnschtig is celebrated with the traditional roast-stealing. This is followed by the Ruassige Frietig. A special treat of the Vorarlberg carnival is the Schaaner-Ried ride in Frastanz . It takes place every year on the evening of Rose Monday. The old ones (women from 30, men from 35) are declared by Frastanz. The custom goes back to the fact that Frastanz owned floors in what is now Liechtenstein's Schaaner-Ried near Schaan . When fencing (zühna) away from home, the single came closer.
Switzerland
In Switzerland the possibilities sometimes very different cultures have formed Fasnacht
Central Switzerland
In Central Switzerland , also known colloquially as Central Switzerland , Lucerne and Stans are the undisputed carnival strongholds. During the " rude Lozärner Fasnacht " thousands of people flock to the old town. People who are not disguised stand out negatively here.
The beginning of the Lucerne Carnival is the “Big Bang” on “Dirty Thursday”, when several parcels with cut phone books explode high above the heads of those present. During this rain of paper, the various "Guuggenmusige" walk into the old town coming from Lake Lucerne . At the same time, the Nauen of the “ Guild of Safran ” docked with his brother Fritschi on the lakeshore of Lucerne. Another part of the Big Bang is the "Orange Battle", in which several boxes of oranges are distributed to those present.
There is a large carnival parade on Thursday and Monday. On Tuesday evening, the carnival in Lucerne reaches its final climax with the monster parade, during which over 100 Guggenmusigen parade through the old town.
Another carnival stronghold is Einsiedeln . The “ Sühudiumzug ” takes place on Güdel Monday. Under Sühudi , grotesque figures, in which folk humor rages off roughly and drastically, often turn into high-spirited comedy, often as frightening figures. They wear "rude" larvae, gruesome, self-made face masks full of warts, bumps and ulcers like lepers, with large chin and nose formations. The Brotauswerfen on Shrove Tuesday has its origin in the 17th century. The masked group Johee , Mummerie and Hörelibajass throws two tons of bread into the crowd from a wooden stage. Throwing out bread should be based on the idea of giving alms.
Carnival is also very popular in March, when the 5th season of the year is ushered in on January 6th with the bell of the Three Kings. Numerous younger and older mask clubs are based in the March. The focus is on the Rölli, which usually appears in association with Fossli and Dominos. These Butzi can be historically traced for about 150 years and occur mainly in Siebnen, Lachen, Reichenburg, Altendorf and Wangen. Outside the March district there is a Rölli Club in Freienbach.
In the inner part of Schwyz - especially in the main town Schwyz, but also in Brunnen-Ingenbohl, Steinen and Ibach - you can find the Nüssler who perform the fool's dance to the sound of drums. The nut makers used to distribute nuts, today oranges and sweets. They are likely to have their origin in Italy.
Northwestern Switzerland
In the northwestern Switzerland takes the city of Basel a central role with the Basel Carnival presents a completely different carnival culture. Carnival is later than usual, namely from Monday 4 a.m. ( Morgestraich ) to Thursday 4 a.m. after Invocavit . With Schnitzelbänken , a political review of the past year is held, in which the “enemy” Zurich also gets its share. The carnival in Protestant Basel traditionally takes place one week after the Catholic carnival. Except for the children, the audience is not masked.
In Liestal , the second largest carnival parade in northwestern Switzerland takes place on the Sunday before the start of Basel Carnival. In the evening, during the “ Chienbäse parade”, torches weighing 40–80 kilograms and wagons with flames up to ten meters high are carried or driven through the old town. Several other communities also know fire customs, albeit significantly less spectacular (carnival fires in Wittnau , Redli- or Scheibenschlagen in many villages). Carnival parades also take place in most of the larger communities in the Basel area , in the originally Reformed areas of the Upper Basel area at the same time as the Liestal Carnival, in the originally Catholic areas of the Lower Basel area a week earlier. In Fricktal ( Canton Aargau ) also carnival takes place (one week before the carnival in Basel), but the carnival customs are quite different from those of the rest of Northwestern Switzerland.
Aargau
In Aargau , many were able to maintain very specific regional customs. The burning of the “Füdlibürger” in Baden or the “Chlaus Chlopf” are witnesses of a strong regional identity in the customs. Masked balls are held in many Catholic parishes. Especially in Freiamt there are numerous and well-attended events of this kind during the carnival season. Apparently independent of general trends, carnival occasions are disappearing completely in some villages while they are flourishing again in other communities.
Espace Mittelland
The first carnival of the year takes place in Büren an der Aare in the canton of Bern . The so-called “Büre Nöijohr” is said to have been granted as compensation for the economic losses caused by the lifting of the medieval veneration of Mary in the pilgrimage church of Oberbüren-Chilchmatt.
The Chesslete in Catholic Solothurn are still known .
The Bärner Fasnacht has also been re- established in Reformed Bern since the early 1980s .
There is also a large carnival in Langenthal compared to the city . It can be traced back to 1864 and was always present except during the war years. Langenthal Carnival begins on Friday and ends on Tuesday, six weeks before Easter. Langenthal has around 1,600 active carnival people, 20 Guggenmusiken, 10 schnitzel banks and 20,000 spectators at the parade. In addition, the carnival market has been held every 3rd October weekend since 1993 with 160 stands and around 10,000 visitors. The Langenthaler Fasnachtsgesellschaft is responsible for the implementation.
The Bieler Carnival has a long tradition as the other carnival strongholds of Switzerland. Today's carnival guild was founded in 1896 from several guilds. The Guggen, Schnitzelbänkler and wagon builders enchant the city of Biel for five days. The Biel Carnival starts on the Wednesday before the Basel Carnival and ends with the Fools' Congress.
Eastern Switzerland
In the town of Altstätten , located in eastern Switzerland , there are events that go hand in hand with the Röllelibutzen and last from the fat Thursday to Carnival Tuesday. Thousands of spectators line the streets of the Rhine valley market town for the night parade (Tschätterium parade on Saturday) and the great traditional parade (on Sunday afternoon).
With their magnificent headdress made of rhinestones, flowers, feathers and colored ribbons, the Röllelibutzen in Altstätten create an imposing, colorful picture that is vaguely reminiscent of the beautiful Perchten in Tyrol or the Urnäscher New Year's Eve.
The appearance of the Röllelibutzen seems modern, the jumping and hopping, the operation of the large water syringe against the audience and the leather belt with many roles, but point to the age-old tradition, which goes back to the 16th century. The Röllelibutzen characterize the carnival events in Altstätten not only during their parades, but also through the polonaise, which is repeated after the parades and in the evening with Bengali lighting.
The Röllelibutzen are among the most beautiful groups of customs in all of Switzerland. The traditional mask association helps the neat little town in the St.Gallen Rhine Valley to become a real carnival stronghold, because in the tow of the Röllelibutzen, monkeys, witches, Blaternbutzen and numerous Guggenmusiken perform.
Zurich
The largest carnival in the canton is the Winterthur carnival , which was able to hold up even after the Reformation despite a ban by the authorities. The carnival in Winterthur opens on Fridays with the erection of the fool's tree and handover of the city key, on Saturdays there is a Guggen parade and on Sunday the highlight is the big carnival parade. On Monday, after a children's parade, the fool's tree is felled again and a Böögg is burned.
In the city of Zurich , which is strongly influenced by Zwingli , there is no real Carnival culture (as in most Protestant areas); the authorities forbade Carnival shortly after the Reformation . Nevertheless, every year a small group tries to cultivate the “Gässle” and the associated visits to restaurants with the Guggenmusik, but are seldom received with goodwill by both passers-by and restaurant owners.
Ticino
In the 19th century, Carnevale in Ticino was characterized by masked parades and dance balls. Since the beginning of the 20th century, a carnival culture based on German-Swiss models (including Guggen music) has developed.
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein as a whole can be described as the region's carnival stronghold. The Fasnach stronghold within Liechtenstein is the municipality of Schaan .
The monster concert on Carnival Saturday, the largest carnival parade in the region on Carnival Sunday, the Beizen Carnival and various gugga music from home and abroad make Schaan a meeting place for fools. (see also: Carnival in Liechtenstein )
Belgium
It is different again in Belgium, where Sankt Vith , Ostend , Aalst, Halle and Binche are particularly strongholds of the carnival. Sankt Vith is located in the German-speaking Community of Belgium and therefore maintains the Aachen and Cologne carnival traditions. In the east of Belgium, a typical Rhenish carnival is celebrated in the nine municipalities of the German-speaking community with women's carnival and Rose Monday procession. In the surrounding towns there are different forms of Carnival, so in Malmedy the "Cwarmê" in Welkenraedt and Stavelot will Mitfasten celebrated in different ways Carnival, some with their own move. Every year in Binche the "Gilles", represented only by men in bell costumes, dance through the city. During their dance they swing the "Ramon", a scepter-like, symbolic broom. The carnival in Binche is similar to the Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht and has been one of the “masterpieces of the oral and intangible world heritage” by UNESCO since 2003 . In Maaseik and Kinrooi , carnival is celebrated based on the Rhenish model. The procession does not take place until Halfvasten , i.e. on the fourth Sunday of Lent .
Denmark
Every year in May, Aalborg hosts the largest Northern European carnival festival, Karneval i Aalborg . Around 100,000 visitors are expected every year.
England
In Ashbourne, England, the Shrovetide football game is part of the 5th season.
Finland
Vappu is the celebration of spring, students and workers in Finland . Vappu is a public holiday . The date and the centuries-old traditions associated with it are in the tradition of Walpurgis Night . Its political meaning corresponds to the German May Day . This holiday is, due to its folk festival atmosphere, on April 30th / 1st. May every year and not because of the disguises (the overalls of the students can look like disguises to outsiders, but are not, but are part of student life in Finland), comparable to Mardi Gras.
Vappu has been celebrated in Finland since the Middle Ages and has also developed into a great festival for students since 1870, and it is particularly celebrated by them. Finnish students first brought this custom to Finland from Lund University in Sweden in 1865 . Since the 1980s, it has also become common practice for representatives of all parties to give major political speeches.
On Laskiainen (Shrove Tuesday) there is a custom in Helsinki for students from universities and technical colleges in the area to meet in the city park Kaivopuisto to go sledding in the afternoon. Students at the Technical University in particular use very elaborate, self-constructed vehicles.
Italy
Carnival is celebrated very differently in Italy . In addition to the very graceful and quiet Carnival in Venice, there are also extremely rude customs such as in Ivrea near Turin with an orange fight in which around 360 tons of oranges were thrown around in 2005 and 164 people were injured. The rite is said to go back to the Middle Ages, when a feudal lord was driven out of the village using beans as projectiles. The carnival and parade in Putignano (Apulia) is famous in Italy. Other well-known places are Acireale (Sicily), Sciacca (Sicily), Viareggio (Tuscany), Fano (Marche) and Cento (Emilia-Romagna)
In Italy, many typical sweets are eaten at Carnival: “Chiacchere”, “Gocce d'oro” and “Tortelli”. There are even school free, carnival holidays. The famous Venice Carnival, which today attracts tourists from all over the world, was only created on the initiative of the Venetian Tourist Association. It lasts ten days, begins on the weekend before the “normal” carnival and ends on Ash Wednesday. Every year it takes place under a certain motto.
Croatia
The largest strongholds for carnival events in Croatia are in Rijeka , Opatija and Samobor in the north-west of the country. The traditional parade takes place in Rijeka on Mardi Gras Sunday, with around 10,000 parade participants and around 150,000 visitors from all over the world.
Luxembourg
In Luxembourg , carnival is traditionally celebrated between Indian Day and Ash Wednesday. In recent years, however, the trend has increased that there are still events beyond Ash Wednesday, for example in Wasserbillig on the first Sunday in spring . This is because the festival loses its religious roots more and more. The city of Diekirch and its surroundings, where most of the events take place, are considered the stronghold of the Luxembourg carnival . The Cavalcade in Diekirch itself is the most famous carnival parade in Luxembourg. Other cities with larger carnival parades are Remich , Schifflingen , Pétange and Wasserbillig.
Malta
Carnival is celebrated in Malta in Valletta. There are several carnival parades with decorated trucks for the carnival. Many communities in Malta present themselves with their own truck during these parades.
Netherlands
The Dutch strongholds of the Carnival are Maastricht , Venlo , Den Bosch , Breda and Bergen op Zoom , with the city of Venlo being the largest stronghold in the Netherlands. Every year there is "de boetegewoene boetezitting" op de parade with 150,000 visitors and live television broadcast. And then there is “de Zoepkoel” with around 30,000 visitors (all on Carnival Saturday) (but no longer in the Zoepkoel). There is a week long carnival holiday , also known as the " crocus holiday ".
There are also Brazilian-style carnivals on the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba (since 1954) and on Curacao .
Russia
The festival of Maslenitsa (German: Butter Week) has its own tradition related to the carnival in Russia . A stronghold of Maslenitsa is Moscow with numerous celebrations that are also offered in tourist programs. It is also before the beginning of Lent, but calculated after the Orthodox Easter date.
Spain
The Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is one of the largest carnivals in the world. Splendid parades and big celebrations shape the image of the island's capital Santa Cruz for three weeks . The highlight is the big parade on Shrove Tuesday, on which all groups, all queens and all award-winning cars parade for over three hours. The festivities end with the burning of a cardboard sardine on Ash Wednesday and symbolizes the transition from the foolish days to everyday life . In contrast to Germany, it will continue in Santa Cruz until March 1st and then in other places on Tenerife. So z. B. on March 12th and 13th in Abades , from March 6th to 16th in Los Cristianos, and extends over the whole island until two weeks before Easter.
Cádiz is a carnival stronghold on the Spanish mainland .
North America
United States
The best known Mardi Gras tradition in the United States is Mardi Gras , especially in New Orleans .
Mexico
The first carnival parades in Mexico took place in 1898. The biggest event is in Mazatlán. One chooses a “Miss Carnival”, a “Child Prince Couple” and a “Rey de Alegría” a “King of Joy” for the carnival days. The grand finale of the street parades is a huge fireworks display.
South America
The carnival also developed a completely independent, remarkable vitality in Latin America .
Argentina
In Argentina there are carnival-like parades already at the end of October. Young people build moving vehicles for weeks, which sometimes happens during school days. The provinces of Entre Ríos , Corrientes and Jujuy are considered to be carnival strongholds . With the Murgas , corsos and comparsas , music groups of Afro-American origin, the former two are based on the Brazilian Carnival, while the Carnival of Jujuy is based on a mixture of Christian and traditional, pre-Columbian traditions ( Pachamama worship) and has a completely different character.
The most famous strongholds are Gualeguaychú in Entre Ríos, the city of Corrientes itself and in Jujuy the highland cities of Humahuaca and Tilcara .
Even in the big cities, e.g. B. Buenos Aires and Córdoba , a popular summer carnival is celebrated with huge spray and water battles, but only differs in details from those of the strongholds.
Brazil
The cities of Rio de Janeiro , Salvador da Bahia and Olinda - Recife are considered the three major carnival strongholds . The Carnival in Rio achieved the greatest fame in the world , attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from Brazil and abroad every year. However, the largest carnival in Brazil and thus also in the whole world is that in Salvador .
Colombia
The Barranquilla Carnival is part of the Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Paraguay
A street carnival with a parade takes place in Encarnacion on the four weekends before Ash Wednesday. Visitors from all over the world are there.
Peru
The Peruvian stronghold of the carnival in Cajamarca in the north.
Uruguay
In a modified form, Murgas can also be found in Uruguay , called Llamadas.
Caribbean
In addition to Brazil, the most important centers of carnival in South America are the countries around the Caribbean. In the Dominican Republic , the city of La Vega is best known; other highlights can be found in Trinidad-Tobago , Saint Lucia and the Bahamas .
Africa
In South Africa , the carnival is usually celebrated in the winter there, especially in the German-speaking communities. The largest is the "Matieka" in Stellenbosch . It is organized by students.
In Namibia there are six different carnivals spread over the year.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rose Monday parade 2017: 70,000 celebrate in Fulda . In: www.fuldaerzeitung.de . ( fuldaerzeitung.de [accessed on February 27, 2017]).
- ↑ The "RoMo" is running - 70,000 visitors - impressions from Hesse's largest parade . ( osthessen-news.de [accessed on February 27, 2017]).
- ^ Carnival in Rietberg
- ↑ Website of the carnival club Schönau-Altenwend
- ↑ Terror warning before the carnival parade in Braunschweig: Authorities received information about a specific risk. February 15, 2015, accessed February 15, 2015 .
- ^ 1. Schweinfurt Carnival Society eV - ESKAGE
- ↑ Rheinberger Carneva Club eV
- ^ Neuruppiner Carneval Club eV
- ↑ FKK Fehrbelliner Karneval Klub eV
- ↑ The fools conquer the north. shz.de , November 12, 2012, accessed on March 3, 2014 .
- ^ Happy carnival in Mildstedt. Husumer Nachrichten , March 2, 2014, accessed on March 3, 2014 .
- ↑ Langenthal Carnival Market
- ^ Langenthaler Fasnachtsgesellschaft
- ^ Giovanna Ceccarelli: Carnevale nella Svizzera Italiana . In: Andreas Kotte (ed.): Theater Lexikon der Schweiz - Dizionario Teatrale Svizzero. Volume 1, Chronos, Zurich 2005, ISBN 3-0340-0715-9 , pp. 343-345. (Italian), there further references
- ↑ Information about the Carnival in Cajamarca
- ↑ Desfile de Llamadas in the Spanish language Wikipedia