Karneval, Fastnacht und Fasching

If you have been to Germany and at some point stumbled across a witch, a clown or even a whole group
of weirdly dressed locals, chances are you witnessed one of the oldest and most famous traditions in
Germany, certain aspects of which can be traced back to the ancient Germanic people – that is the
annual celebration of Karneval or how it is locally also known Fastnacht or Fasching.

Origin and reasons for celebrating Karneval

In ancient times, the Germanic peoples used to dress up with masks and animal fur to celebrate and
awake the good spirits and welcome the spring season. Parts of this ancient tradition became part of the
Karneval celebrations, which developed during the middle ages in Germany. The word Karneval is said to
originate from the Latin “carne levare” which means “remove meat” and goes back to the Christian
fasting traditions. The fasting period is done in preparation for the celebration of Easter. In the 12 th
century people in Germany started to offset this period of sobriety by being merry and celebrate and
much as possible before the beginning of the fasting time.

Celebrating Karneval

Sumber: "File:Mainzer Fastnacht Rosenmondnacht 2004.jpg" by frAgor is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Karneval also known as the Fifth Season of the Year annually starts on November 11 at exactly 11.11 am.
It is said that the number 11 is of significance for Karneval since it is viewed as a närrische Zahl (crazy
number) that represents the craziness during the Karneval celebration – a time when people dress up,
eat, drink, and celebrate boisterously.

The sequence of events begins with the Weiberfastnacht or Altweiberfasching (Women’s Carnival) on a
Thursday. On this day women dress up and cut ties worn by men as a symbol of women having taken
over. In turn men who become “victims” of the women, they receive a kiss on the cheek as a present.

The Monday after Women’s Carnival is called Rosenmontag (Rose Monday) and 11.11 am on that day
represents the summit of the Karneval season. Rosenmontag is best known for the parades that are
being held all over the country where people fill the streets dressed up as everything you can and maybe
cannot imagine from witches and magicians to Napoleon lookalikes. Napoleon costumes are common
since the first organized Karneval parade was held in 1823 in Cologne after the defeat of Napoleon who
prior had banned the Karneval celebrations during his reign in Eropa.

Sumber: "The Schwabian-Alemannic Fastnacht (Fasching) in Tubingen, Germany" by LenDog64 is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

The activities then continue on Tuesday known as Faschingsdienstag (Shrove Tuesday) which marks the
last day of the Karneval season. In Germany, the parades and festivities on Faschingsdienstag are on a
much smaller scale than in other parts of the world where the Tuesday marks the highlight of the
carnival season and is known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
However, despite being celebrated less than in other countries Faschingsdienstag has its own particular
interesting aspects. Especially in the southern regions of Germany, the calmer Faschingsdienstag is
reserved for Guggenmusik. Guggenmusik is a special music parade that was first documented in 1906 in
Basel, Switzerland and was adopted by some regions in Germany beginning in the 1950s. Typical for this
particular parade are the loud and wild noise the musicians make and the often frightening costumes
and masks they wear.

In the Rhineland area, which is probably most famous for Karneval in Germany, on the evening of
Faschingsdienstag traditionally people burn the Nubbel. Nubbel is a man-sized straw puppet which
hangs above the entrance of many pubs and represents all the small sins and misdeeds people do during
the during the Karneval season. With the burning of the Nubbel, all the mischief of the weeks leading to
it is erased and forgotten. Thus, on the following day, the Aschermittwoch (Ash Wednesday), the “crazy
season” can end and the time of repentance and fasting towards Easter can begin.

Regional particularities of the Karneval celebrations

Düsseldorf

The events in Düsseldorf differ from the neighboring city of Cologne, where the celebrations are known
to be traditional and romantic. The Karneval in Düsseldorf is well known for its more politically critical
parades with bold statements and witty remarks held in Old Town Düsseldorf which is also known as the
longest bar mile in the world.

Mainz

While many other regions focus on party, food and drinking, in Mainz the Karneval puts the emphasis on
political humor, satire and literature.

Aachen

In Aachen, people historically people focus on making fun of men in uniform and the celebrations boast
the motto “Spaß an der Freud” loosely translated into English as “Enjoy the Joy".

Münster

Even though Münster is not famous for being a party destination, during Karneval this city does not
want to stay behind. In particular, the Rosenmontag is celebrated with a number of decorated vehicles
and thousands of “crazy people” that color the city center.

Different terminology and exclamations

There are not only regional differences in the way Karneval is celebrated but each region also has its
own exclamations and terminology. While in Cologne people will greet each other by screaming “Kölle
Alaaf!”, a few kilometers further in Düsseldorf “Helau!” will be heard all over the city. Again, in other
regions like in Bavaria and Northern Germany people cry out “Ahoi!” or “Hajo” like in Berlin and
Heidelberg. While in the Rhineland region Karneval participants are named Jecken, in many other
regions they are referred to as Narren.
Karneval in the midst of the pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic the fantastic costumes, exciting parades and entertaining events that
are part of the Karneval celebrations cannot be witnessed as usual. However, that does not mean that
there are no Karneval celebrations at all. Karneval fans are finding creative ways to keep the tradition
alive despite the limitations caused by the pandemic. In Cologne for example the 2021 parade on
Rosenmontag was substituted by a televised miniature parade featuring puppets wearing all kinds of fun
costumes.

Video:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Die_Frohsinnsverbreiter._K%C3%B6lsche_Funke_rut-wie
%C3%9F_vun_1823_e.V.webm