Carnival - Fasnacht fun!

Europe takes Carnival seriously. Particularly the eastern stretch of Germany right around where I live. Europe is very Catholic, and Carnival serves as an opening festival for the Lent season, as well as ancient traditions of scaring away the winter spirits. Here in Germany, the Carnival season begins in October, but the week of Carnival is kicked off Thursday before Ash Wednesday at 11:11, and it is a constant party until then. The whole city shuts down - the carnival-ers storm city hall and "Run" the city for the week. Schools are closed for at least 5 days, most a week or two. What are normally busy shopping centers in the center of Bonn and Cologne, close up shop, and board up the windows. People wear full - incredibly well done costumes - classy, funny, historic. Some where them for events weeks ahead of time, but EVERYONE wears costumes for parties, parades, everyday activities the week of. It's heaven.

I spent Thursday and Friday with the boys as they didn't have school. We went to an Aquarium, the park, and swimming, all in costume and with one of their friends. Friday night I went dancing with some friends in Cologne. We went out all night. Cologne is actually a very Gay friendly city, we wandered around the city, met some funny German guys, and then went to a club - which turned out to be a gay bar - then a wonderful pub where everyone was singing carnival songs and having a great time. Saturday we dressed up and went to dinner. Sunday, after church, a wonderful friend from the ward took me to Cologne for a parade. Steffi works in Cologne and is very familiar with the city, so she showed me some fun things.

Here are a few of the groups accompanying the floats/wagons.

Everyone in the crowd yells "Camello" to receive candy. Camello means candy in the old, Kolsch dialect of German. The parade is all about the tribes, groups and villages throughout Cologne's history, so the dialect is used in many floats and signs. 

This terrible selfie is to show the flowers that are handed out. It's so lovely! They toss out all sorts of funny things in addition to candy. I received: A hand towel, a bottle opener, a small bottle of schnapps, tissues, a pen, a sponge, and FLOWERS! It's so classy. Sometimes, when they hand you a flower, they also kiss you on the check. 

Steffi showed me e famous locked love bridge in Cologne.

This was the loot from just one parade. 

Monday is the craziest day. The parade in Cologne has over 1 million people in attendance each year. I was working, so Patrick, Nico, Phinni and I joined the Orman family and about 300,000 other people for the Bonn parade.

Yes, that's a camel. In a parade. ???

This whole group was drunk and playing rock music and having a grand ol' time.

Chinese draggon

I went to Basel, Switerland that weekend. Basel's festivities are based on the Heathen calendar, so they take place after Ash Wednesday. Sunday night, just outside of Basel in a village called Liestal, they take the scaring of the winter spirits seriously. Here are some before shots of the place:

The parade starts after dark. Therefore, all the floats are lanterns, and people in the parade have lights on. 

Tons of political commentary within the parades. Obama - Yes we Scan. (side note, people here LOVE Edward Snowden, obviously)

Giant Monkey man.

Then the parade gets a little crazy. I didn't take any good pictures of the ground, but know that there was about 4" of  paper confetti covering the parade route. 

Yes, these men are carrying huge "brooms" of logs on fire. Men, women, children all carry these. 

None of these are taken with a zoom. I was standing less than 3 feet away from these flames. 

 Remember that cart/trailer full of logs with men on top? Here it is about an hour later. (you really want to watch this one, even if I took it the wrong direction like a fool)

Yeah, it was an incredible experience. It was really neat to see such a longstanding tradition in action. People have been taking fire under that tunnel for hundred of years. It made me want to be Swiss.

Basel's big kick off starts just a few hours later - promptly at 4 am. A city of about 150,000 people goes completely dark - they turn off the lights to the city and that's when the parade begins. Like those in Liestal, all floats are lanterns. While Cologne has funny, silly costumes, those in Basel all involve these crazy makes that make the person look like their head is abnormally large and strange. 

These are taken a few minutes before the lights shut off.

Yes, it was incredible. The parade follows no real route, the flutes and drums go all throughout the city, apparently every night throughout the week. 

Carnival is like the 4th of July, Mardi Gras, and Halloween in one, but bigger and better. I love getting to be a part of these crazy traditions that have roots with some of the earliest human civilizations. Yay for Carnival!