Carnival is celebrated with greater dedication in parts of Germany than in any, other European country. In Germany, Mardi Gras is also referred to as the fifth and foolish season ('die närrische Zeit').

It is a time of elaborate parades, masks, balls and election of Carnival king and queen and official madness. The exact time of celebration and the traditions vary from region to region but it generally takes place in early spring, seven weeks before Easter. But in theory it actually it starts on the 11th November at 11.11a.m, although little more than backstage planning takes place before New Year.

The festival itself is variously known as Karneval (Rhineland), Fassenacht (Mainz), Fasching (Bavaria) and Fastnacht or Fasnet (South West Germany), and the different names denote totally different forms of celebration.

The chief towns' famous for their Carnival spectaculars are Aachen, Cologne, Duesseldorf, Mainz, Munich and Muenster, but even smaller localities put on their own celebrations, not to mention the many parties held in schools, youth clubs and places of work.

"WOMENS CARNIVAL DAY"
Thursday, 3. March 2011
This is the day when you can experience the Carnival in its traditional form. Early in the morning, the streets are alive with ladies in fancy-dress on their way to the office, their place of work or to the shops, and from 10.00 a.m. they all usually head towards the town centre or town hall. At 11.11 a.m. the street Carnival is officially opened by the three principal Carnival figures: the Prince, the Peasant and the Virgin.

On this day women assume complete power for the day. Any man foolish enough to wear a tie on this day runs the risk of having it cut off just below the knot. In the evening countless parties and masked balls are held and men are, of course welcome to join the celebrations provided they foot the bill for all the women's drinks.

Friday, 4. March 2011
In the morning, you might come across the odd survivor of the "Weiber-Fastnacht" and in the evening the celebration continues with many more masked balls and parties.

Saturday, 5. March 2011
This day is usually celebrated with a traditional "Frühschoppen" or early-morning drink followed by parties, parties and even more parties.  In the afternoon Rhineland cities are commonly overflowing with "Jecken" or Carnival figures, by the evening the party continues with popular ghost processions, otherwise known as "Geisterzug".

Carnival Sunday,
6. March 2011
A fore taster in miniature of the major processions on the following day, commonly held with fancy dressed children, school groups and clubs.

ROSE MONDAY,
7. March 2011
Climax of Carnival, with big official parades. Processions consist of decorated carts, coaches, giant Hollywood style walking dummies, often depicting well known political or international figures, groups of masked fools, brass bands, horses and costumed groups on foot. Thousands of bars of chocolate, sweets and flowers are thrown into the crowd. Even after the procession has passed by, many continue to celebrate either at specially organised dances, informal private parties or in local bars.

Tuesday, 8. March 2011
In the afternoon, processions usually continue in many city suburbs with Carnival groups and societies in fancy dress.

ASH WEDNESDAY 9. March 2011
Traditionally, fish dinners are served in all restaurants and pubs.

Further Information:
Cologne Tourist Information
Unter Fettenhennen 19
50667 Köln
Tel: 0049 221 22130400

Email: [email protected]

Carnival in Cologne is almost as old as the history of the city itself. But the organized carnival celebrated today only dates back 179 years.

The Greeks and Romans celebrated cheerful spring festivals in honour of Dionysos and Saturn with wine, women and singing. The ancient Germans celebrated the winter solstice as a homage to the Gods and expulsion of the evil winter demons.

Later the Christians adopted the heathen customs. The period of fasting (Lent) prior to Easter was heralded in by "Fastnacht" or "Karnival" - carne vale = Farewell to meat!

In the Middle Ages, the celebrations of Carnival and masquerades often took on drastic forms, very much to the displeasure of the city council and the church. Ordinances and bans did little to help, the celebration was always wild and spirited.

The boisterous street carnival was extended in the 18th century to include the so-called "Redouten", elegant masked and fancy-dress balls in Venetian style, which were initially the preserve of the aristocracy and the wealthy patricians. In 1736, the first Redoute was held in Cologne in a noble house on the Neumarkt.

Almost 50 years later, Cologne was captured by the French revolutionary troops. But the new rulers allowed the locals "de faire son tour", to hold their carnival parades. The Prussians, who took control a short time later, were stricter, which, however, did  not prevent the natives of Cologne from cultivating their Carnival tradition. Carnival was romanticized and became bourgeois. It became organized! With the "Carnival Hero", today's Prince Carnival, a new idea was also introduced.

In 1823 the "Festkomitee" was founded. On February 10 of that year, Cologne celebrated the first Rose Monday Parade with the motto "Inthronization of the Carnival Hero", as a reminder to the former free imperial city of Cologne.

Following the foundation of the Festkomitee, there was no stopping the people of Cologne, one Carnival society followed the other.

In 1860, the first "Ghost Parade" was held on the evening of Carnival Saturday. Even after the turn of the century, the "founding period" the revolution of Carnival continued. In 1902, the "Ehrengarde" was formed as the accompanying group of the Peasant and Virgin. In 1906, Prince Carnival was given his "Prinzengarde".

Every year the opening of the "Carnival Session" is on the 11.11 at 11h11 and in the meantime, up to its climax, there are approx. 160 carnival societies, local history societies and district groups in Cologne who will celebrate, their home town festival with about 500 sessions, balls and parades.

The Carnival celebrations in Munich are known as Fasching and have a very different atmosphere from those in the Rhineland, tending to be influenced by the Carnival in Venice, the splendour of Viennese balls and the Battle of Flowers in Nice.

The Sunday before Lent is known as Fools Sunday in Munich, when the street based celebrations reach fever pitch. On this day some ten thousand people crowd the streets between Karlstor and the Marienplatz for a special Carnival programme such as brass bands and pop groups. On Monday the event continues at the Viktualienmarkt reaching its climax on Tuesday.

Further Information:
Munich Tourist Information
Sendlinger Strasse 1
80331 München
Tel: 0049 89 2330300

Email: [email protected]

In the more rural areas of South Germany, Carnival celebrations have a much older history and a much more obvious link with the pre Christian Spring festivals than the celebrations elsewhere.

They vary from place to place, but very often involve the use of fools' costumes, wooden masks, foxes' tails, bells, whips, water and soot, which together with noise were generally regarded as offering protection against the demons which were seen as a particular threat during the transitional period between winter and spring.

Further Information:
Baden Wuerttemberg Tourist Information
Esslinger Strasse 8
70182 Stuttgart 
Tel: 0049 711 238580