Karneval
Alden Gordon
German 102
Professor Rosenbaum
The Holiday with a Dozen Names
 Name of Holiday changes depending on the
location.
 In Austria and areas near Munich it is known as
Fasching.
 Around the city of Mainz it is known as
Fastnacht.
 It is called Fosnat in the Franken region of
northern Bavaria.
 The most famous and massive celebrations of
this holiday occur in city of Köln (Cologne) in
northern Germany in the Rhineland area,
where it is known as Karneval.
The Nature of Karneval
 The holiday officially starts on November
11th at 11:11,
 It continues on a low key for three months
until a climax on Rosenmontag, the 42nd
day before Easter and the Monday before
Ash Wednesday.
 The first recorded celebration of Karneval in
Köln occurred in the year 1341.
 The celebration on Rosenmontag consists of
about 1.5 million citizens of Köln dressing
in costume, and viewing or participating in
a procession of floats down major streets.
A Karneval Procession in
The Three Stars
 The Karneval celebration has three stars, or
Dreigestirn, who are elected in October by Köln’s
105 historical Karneval associations.
 The first is the Carneval Prince who is referred to as
“seine Tollität”, or his craziness.
 The prince is accompanied by a host of bodyguards,
dressed in 1800’s uniforms, who are facing the
wrong direction and holding guns with flowers in
the barrels to signify the cities historic
antimilitarism.
 The other stars include the Bauer, peasant, and the
Jungfrau, the virgin who is always played by a man.
Dreigestirn
Political Commentary in Celebration
 Especially in Köln the celebrations of
Karneval have taken a distinctly
politically humorous tone
A Prime Example
Costumes and Celebration
 On Rosenmontag there are pub and street parties
all over Köln, and a majority of people participating
are in costume or face paint.
 During the float processions those riding the floats
throw candy to the crowds and sing traditional
parade songs.
History of Karneval
 Can be dated back to pagan era,
possibly of Roman influence, as a
celebration to ward off evil spirits and
encourage a good harvest.
 The political nature of Karneval began
in this era when peasants mocked
knights and priests by dressing like
them.