Karneval in Cologne

Karneval in Cologne

November 11 until Ash Wednesday

Pre-Lenten activities are especially festive in Cologne, Germany. The celebration begins officially on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11:11 p.m., when Carnival societies throughout Germany begin their public activities with singers submitting their latest songs and speakers telling funny tales. The date was originally the end of a fasting period ordered by the church.
During the period from early January until the beginning of Lent, the festival calendar is filled with 300 costume balls, performances of original songs and humorous speeches, and numerous smaller affairs sponsored by such special interest groups as skittle clubs and a rabbit breeders' association. The humorous talks began in 1829, and today audiences clap hands in a slow rhythm to show their approval and whistle to express their disapproval.
These events lead up to the final "crazy days" ( Tolle Tage ) just before Ash Wednesday. During this time, the Lord Mayor of Cologne receives the Triumvirate of Carnival—Prince Carnival, the Cologne Virgin (who, according to tradition, is played by a man), and the Cologne Peasant. The prince represents the prince of joy, the peasant the valor of the men of the town, and the virgin the purity of the city of Cologne, whose city walls the enemy never breached. The prince gets the keys to the city and rules the city until Carnival ends.
On Weiberfastnacht, or "Women's Carnival," the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, women take control and cut off the ties of any men within reach. This is revenge—women were excluded from Karneval in the 19th century. On Sunday, there are school and suburban parades.
Rose Monday is the day of Carnival's mammoth parade with decorated floats, giant figures, and bands. Police from surrounding districts are on duty and join the crowds in singing and dancing.
On Shrove Tuesday, there are more parades, and crowds cheer the prince and his attendants. That evening, the Carnival season ends with a ball in Gürzenich Hall, the city's 15th-century festival hall. The prince returns the keys of the city, and normalcy is back. On Ash Wednesday, people traditionally eat a fish dinner, and so the restraint of Lent begins.
See also Fasching

CONTACTS:
City of Cologne Tourist Office
Unter Fettenhennen 19
Koln (Am Dom), 50667 Germany
49-22-130-40-0; fax: 49-22-130-40-10
www.koeln.de/en/index.html

SOURCES:
EncyEaster-2002, p. 222