Carnival for Dummies

Germany is the Wurst No. 31

Once upon a time, when I was a young college student spending a semester abroad in Germany, I skipped my German classes to celebrate Rosenmontag in Cologne. The End.

Although I’ve been living in Germany for almost a decade, I haven’t celebrated Carnival since my study abroad days back in 2011. However, as I was recently confronted with Carnival celebrations in my children’s daycare and following a series of “Why” questions by my four-year-old, it dawned on me that despite spending a semester abroad, completing two internships, working in the higher education and vocational education sectors, speaking fluent German, marrying a German, having two half-German kids, befriending many Germans, and applying for German citizenship, I still know basically nothing about Carnival. Albeit, I’m not really that interested in Carnival and I don’t like Kreppel, except maybe this Döner Kreppel that costs €4.50, which is still €1 more than the Döner Partei was campaigning for. Nevertheless, I consider this blindspot to be a glaring inadequacy in my education on German culture and it is simply unacceptable. Therefore, I took it upon myself to do some research and create a brief Carnival guide for dummies like me, or anyone else out there who needs a little Carnival refresher.

Chapter 1: Carnival is Karneval, but Not Everywhere

For starters, let’s take a look at the etymology behind the pre-Lenten observance Carnival or Karneval, as it is sometimes called in Germany. The word is derived from Latin carne levare and means “to remove meat” in a reference to Lent, or the forty days Jesus spent fasting in the desert. Just as Germans have a variety of different regional greetings or ways to refer to bread rolls, there are also different names for Carnival. The general rule of thumb is as follows: people say Karneval in the Rhineland, Fastnacht in Mainz and Fastnacht/Fasnacht/Fasnet in Baden-Württemberg, and in southern Germany people say Fasching, which comes from the Germanic Vaschang, or the last serving of alcohol before Lent. For the linguists among us, the English word “fast” or to refrain from eating, is related to the German verb fasten and also happens to be the same word for Lent, Fasten. To make matters more complicated, each region also has its own Narrenruf, or “fool’s shout.” Narr is the medieval German word for fool and ruf means to call or shout something. Using the correct Narrenruf is extremely important in Carnival celebrations as it is used to greet others joining in on the fun. Two of the most well known Narrenruf are Kölle Alaaf (long live Cologne) in Cologne and Helau in Düsseldorf and Mainz. By no means should you ever mix up these two calls, or else you will definitely not be getting any Bützje, or kisses, from fellow Carnival revellers.

Chapter 2: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Saturday

Next, let’s examine exactly which days are important during the Carnival season. But first, bonus points to anyone who got my reference to The Godfather and extra bonus points to those who are aware that Germany is not only well known for its spaghetti à la mode, but also as a hotbed for Italian organized crime. Anyways, most Carnival festivities kick off every year on November 11th, or 11/11 at 11:11. You may be wondering, what’s the deal with the number 11? In religion, the number 11 represents self-indulgence and sin, which are basically the things we are supposed to give up during Lent. The yearly Carnival inauguration is also known as the “fifth season” due to its frivolous nature; however, this is mainly in regions that are dominantly Protestant. Danke, Martin! Even though there are some brief Carnival meetings in November, the real starting date for Carnival is actually January 6th, or the Epiphany. Nevertheless, the party really gets started with the Straßenkarneval (street carnival) celebrations that take place on the Thursday leading up to Ash Wednesday, or the first day of Lent. Allow me to provide a quick overview of all seven days, in the correct order, of course:

Thursday / Weiberfastnacht: Also known as Fettdonnerstag or Schmotziger Donnerstag (Fat or Greasy Thursday), the Thursday before Ash Wednesday is mostly celebrated, especially in the Rhineland, as Weiberfastnacht or Women’s Carnival. It all started in 1824 in the Beuel neighborhood in Bonn, when the town’s Wäscherinnen (washer women) decided they were tired of men dominating the Carnival culture. As a result, they established the Alte Damenkomitee (Old Women’s Committee) to fight for their participation in Carnival and symbolically stormed the town hall. Today, instead of storming the city government, it is a common tradition on Weiberfastnacht for women to cut men’s neckties. However, it should be noted that you can’t just go around cutting off any necktie you see; the German courts ruled that the act must be consensual or else the neck tie cutter could face some legal trouble.

Friday / Rußiger Freitag: In the Middle Ages, the Narren, or fools/jesters, tried to smear soot in people’s faces, resulting in Sooty Friday. This tradition is still popular with young children.

Saturday / Schmalziger Samstag: Eating eggs and dairy used to be forbidden during Lent, and therefore, on Schmalziger Samstag, or Greasy Saturday, the last rations were used up to bake Kreppel and Schmalznudeln, or donuts fried in fat. The bakery was given as consolation for those who had soot smeared in their faces the previous day. Saturday is also known as Nelkensamstag, or Carnation Saturday.

Sunday / Tulpensonntag: Keeping up with the flower theme, Tulpensonntag is known as Tulip Sunday. In some regions, Carnival parades take place on this day.

Monday / Rosenmontag: Rose Monday, or Rosenmontag, is considered to be the absolute highlight of the Carnival season in the Rhineland. This is the big party day with lots of parades and activities. Although the day isn’t an official holiday in Germany, many companies give their employees the day off to celebrate (Brauchtumstag).

Tuesday / Fastnachtsdienstag: Shrove Tuesday marks the last day of the Carnival celebrations before the liturgical season starts on Ash Wednesday. The day is more widely known in the U.S. for example, as Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, with famous parades and celebrations in cities like New Orleans. In some parts of Germany it is also known as Veilchendienstag or Violet Tuesday, or Pancake Day in the U.K.

Wednesday / Aschermittwoch: Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, or the forty days before Easter.

Chapter 3: Karnevalsitzungen, or, What Else Is There to Do in January and February?

Now that we’ve established when Carnival begins in January and when the action really takes place in the week before Lent, you might be wondering what people do with their time in between. An important part of Carnival are the Karnivalsitzungen, or performances, which are a type of variety show, as they can include satire and comedy pieces as spoken contributions, songs to sing along to, as well as music and dance interludes. A specific type of spoken contributions are called Büttenrede, or speeches in the local dialect that are often rhymed and held from a special lectern, or Bütte. The tradition of dance and speech performances during Carnival goes back to the Middle Ages and has continued to be a standard part of the program. However, there were a few things that happened in the 19th century that led to the growth of Karnevalsvereine (Carnival associations) and Karnevalsitzungen. First, in 1815 the Prussians took over and in Cologne, for example, they not only got rid of all the fun, but they also abolished the Lustbarkeitsabgaben or entertainment taxes in 1821, which were previously introduced by the French. Second, the wealthy citizens in Cologne who sat on the advisory board for the Armenverwaltung, or administration for the poor, lobbied for the Prussian authorities to re-introduce the entertainment taxes, as well as implement a large parade. As a result, officials from the Armenverwaltung and the Cologne city council established the Grosse Karnevalsgesellschaft, known today as Die Grosse von 1823. The association met annually at a general assembly to elect a committee to organize the Carnival festival. And, in 1889, the Festkomitee Kölner Karnival, or the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee, became a registered association and still organizes the Rosenmontag Parade in Cologne to this day. Furthermore, there are Sitzungen for all different types of audiences, for example, Kindersitzungen or Seniorensitzungen, or Stunksitzungen, which are a type of alternative satirical cabaret. People attend Karnevalsitzungen in costume and the major performances from Cologne and Mainz, for example, are regularly televised.

Chapter 4: Takin’ It to the Streets

After a long winter filled with nothing to look forward to except for various Karnevalsitzungen, the time has finally come to take the Carnival celebrations to the streets in the week before Lent. Umzüge, or parades, are a major highlight of the Carnival season and the Rosenmontagszug in Cologne is arguably the most famous (I hope no one from Mainz or Düsseldorf is reading this newsletter - Helau!). If you hear someone say D’r Zoch kütt! that means the parade is coming in Cologne and it will also last for the next five hours. Sweets are thrown out to those who call out Kamelle, as well as flowers for those who call out Strüßjer, and your chances of getting candy and flowers are pretty high. This year alone 300 tons of candy and 300,000 flowers were distributed to onlookers in Cologne. There are different kinds of parade floats; for example, some have political themes and are referred to as Persiflagewagen. While watching some of the Rosenmontagszug on WDR, I caught sight of a float with crazy extremist politicians Alice Weidel and Sahra Wagenknecht as conjoined twins holding flowers with Putin’s face in the middle. Other floats are more decorative (Festwagen) and represent different Carnival associations. And let’s not forget that there is no party without music. Carnival music is classier than Après-Ski and has a little bit more fanfare. Traditional songs include “Mer losse d’r Dom in Kölle” or “Denn wenn et Trömmelche jeht.”

Bonus Chapter: Yes, You Can Vote Drunk and in Costume

In my last newsletter, I wrote about the parliamentary elections in Germany, which were originally scheduled to take place this year in September, but were moved up to February due to the fact that Germany has not had a majority ruling government since last November. Although, Germany now has a song entry for Eurovision. Priorities. Usually, elections and Carnival do not mix; however, since the election this year took place during the Carnival season, and, to top it off, Germany holds elections on Sundays, citizens were obviously very concerned if they could cast their votes while wearing their carnival costumes, and also, while intoxicated. According to the Bundeswahlleiter, or Federal Returning Officer, responsible for overseeing elections on the federal level, citizens are allowed to dress up in costume to vote but must be able to be identified by election workers. Moreover, the Federal Returning Officer also confirmed that there are no limitations to the level of intoxication when voting, which may or may not have something to do with the election results this year. Carnival music, however, is not allowed at polling places.

Now that I’ve spent the last few weeks learning more about Carnival, only one question remains: what should I do with this new knowledge? Celebrate, of course! Kölle Alaaf!