It's again Fasching zeit or Carnival season here in Germany. Fasching is a term derived from the word Fastnacht meaning "eve of the beginning of the fast." What I love the most about it is the masks and costumes that people wear as part of the different parades.
Especially the very traditional Alemanic carnival parades are a highlight at this time of the year. Like in the last years we were with friends in the little town of Oberkirch in the Black Forest and it was so much fun to be part of the local Fasnet parade. The carnival celebrations in the Black Forest are completely different from the carnival parades that happen in cities like Köln or Mainz. Here you can find traditional wooden masks, even for little infants with all the accessories, head gear, make-up and wigs that match.
A beautiful sight indeed and some serious tradition that has been carried down since several years. Hubby and me donned our red and purple wigs, little bunny dressed up like a frog princess and little rabbit was a cute little ladybug. But there was stiff competition from the witches, devils and carnival fools who donned their scary wooden masks and paraded down the streets of Oberkirch. Over the years little bunny seemed to take on a very professional attitude to the whole candy gathering exercise which is a very important part of the whole event for kids. She would look straight into the eyes of the scary monsters and demand her candy, and as always her charm did seem to work on these creatures of the carnival.
You have to be prepared if masked witches grab your arms and legs and put you in a cart and you become part of the procession and if there is confetti poured on you, there is no getting mad at anyone, it's carnival time folks :-)
When the witches shouted 'Narro' we all shouted back in unison 'Narri'. Hopefully we did manage to drive out the evil spirits of the cold winter months.
Especially the very traditional Alemanic carnival parades are a highlight at this time of the year. Like in the last years we were with friends in the little town of Oberkirch in the Black Forest and it was so much fun to be part of the local Fasnet parade. The carnival celebrations in the Black Forest are completely different from the carnival parades that happen in cities like Köln or Mainz. Here you can find traditional wooden masks, even for little infants with all the accessories, head gear, make-up and wigs that match.
A beautiful sight indeed and some serious tradition that has been carried down since several years. Hubby and me donned our red and purple wigs, little bunny dressed up like a frog princess and little rabbit was a cute little ladybug. But there was stiff competition from the witches, devils and carnival fools who donned their scary wooden masks and paraded down the streets of Oberkirch. Over the years little bunny seemed to take on a very professional attitude to the whole candy gathering exercise which is a very important part of the whole event for kids. She would look straight into the eyes of the scary monsters and demand her candy, and as always her charm did seem to work on these creatures of the carnival.
You have to be prepared if masked witches grab your arms and legs and put you in a cart and you become part of the procession and if there is confetti poured on you, there is no getting mad at anyone, it's carnival time folks :-)
When the witches shouted 'Narro' we all shouted back in unison 'Narri'. Hopefully we did manage to drive out the evil spirits of the cold winter months.
A ritual that was started thousands of years ago to drive out the ghosts and blues of the winter. I have to admit that the snow this time is determined to wait it out for some more weeks.
The carnival in Oberkirch is really special because of the thousands of costumes that people wear representing their towns and the symbols that they stand for.
Its the fourth year that we were in this little town thanks to friends who have family in this region. Little bunny got to collect a lot of candy and it was definitely a fun time indeed.
