The German’s sure know how to have a good time! First the Christmas markets and now Karneval, they’ve got it down.
The five-day celebration began on Thursday at the Rathaus. The city dwellers gathered at the front doors of the town hall awaiting the mayor’s message, dressed up as anything and everything from dragons and clowns to red solo cups and 18th-century militia. Amy and a few of her friends joined in the morning festivities to see what it was all about. At precisely 11:11 am, the mayor stepped out onto the balcony and (in German) told us something about the Karneval celebration. When his speech was over, he gave the keys of the city to the Prince of Fools, and the party began!
Later that evening, once Jeff finished work, we braved the wind and rain and took a stroll around Altstadt. We wandered through the streets, checking out the party that was still going strong and feeling quite grateful we were not in the same shape as many of the party-goers.
On Monday, we dressed in our costumes and set off for the Rosenmontag parade! We found a great spot with protection from the spitting rain and joined in with the crowd shouting “Helau” (translating to “throw me candy”). We sang along to the German songs that we have learned over the past year and danced along to the songs we didn’t know. We kept an eye out for the political floats that are only okay during Karneval and enjoyed watching the countless marching bands pass by as well as the numerous floats decorated with different themes followed by individuals in matching costumes. We collected more candy than we know what to do with, including waffles, Oreos, suckers, and SO many gummy bears along with a few Kleenex packets and a random packet of Vitamin C lozenges… we did not collect any cough drops or carrots like last year.
"Save the Bees"
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| Helau! |
Just like last year, we continue to be amazed at the magnitude of this city-wide party. It is so fun to see people of all ages dressed up and having a good time.
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