Karneval or Fasching

Dating back to the Middle Ages, the celebration of Carnival (Karneval or Fasching) -- from which the New Orleans tradition of Mardi Gras is derived -- is a time for eating, drinking and merriment before the solemn days of Lent. This colorful festival takes place for one week, starting 52 days before Easter, generally ending with a bang in time to calm down for Ash Wednesday. Carnival is celebrated in several regions throughout Germany, the two most popular versions being Karneval with its hub in the Rhineland region and Fasching (also Fastnacht) in Southern Germany.

Fastnacht season begins on Three Kings Day, January 6 (Epiphany) and is a more subdued celebration observed in cities and rural areas of Baden-Württemberg, parts of Bavaria and Alsace. Costumes have evolved around themes of dark ghosts representing the cold season contrasted by the bright, colorful spirits of spring. These traditional themes symbolize the eager anticipation of the growing season, a time farmers and consumers long for.

Carnival season officially starts much earlier, on November 11th at 11:11 am. At this time people celebrate the beginning of what is often referred to as the "fifth" (Carnival) season. In the weeks leading up to the festivities, Carnival clubs meet to discuss upcoming performances, costumes, and parades. The undisputed Carnival capital is Cologne, followed by Düsseldorf and Mainz.

Carnival is traditionally kicked off on Thursday with "Women's Carnival" (Weiberfastnacht). On this unofficial holiday women dress up in costumes and misbehave in harmless ways, thus symbolically taking control for a day. A popular tradition is to cut off men's ties, leaving only a short stump of this perceived token of male supremacy. In return the male victims are usually rewarded with a peck on the cheek.

The Monday following Women's Carnival is called Rose Monday (Rosenmontag). This day marks the peek of Carnival season, with 11:11 a.m. as the official kick-off time for the popular parades. With excitement and anticipation, people line up along main street to wait for the parade to pass by. The floats are works of art portraying a variety of themes and usually focus on what's happening in the world; for example, one float may make fun of a contemporary governmental leader or recent political event. After the parade wild and free-roaming marchers dressed in crazy costumes (Narrenkostümen) gather in the side streets to continue the celebration. Bars stay open through the early hours of morning, and the spirit of Carnival reigns in the streets and public squares, in offices and at home, and above all in places for dancing and drinking. To accompany this great fun, street vendors offer simple German fare to keep Carnival enthusiasts happy. On every corner one can buy fresh pretzels, hot sausages (Bratwurst) or Krapfen, the German answer to donuts, and enjoy mugs of hot-spiced wine (Glühwein) which helps the Carnival crowd stay warm.

The Tuesday after Rose Monday marks the last day of the carnival season and is observed with smaller parades and parties in Germany. For carnival enthusiasts in other parts of the world, however, Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras in French marks the highlight of the carnival season. In cities such as New Orleans, Venice and Rio de Janeiro cheerful and colorful crowds take over the streets with spectacular parades.  Ash Wednesday marks the end of the year's craziest "season" and ushers in the solemn weeks of Lent.