Amy & Adam's European Highlights

Carnival in south-western Germany is quite an experience. Known as the Schwäbisch-alemannische Fastnacht, its origins date back to pagan times and was a time when people chased away winter by dressing up and making a lot of noise. Carnival season officially begins here on November 11 at 11:11 p.m. but the major parades begin after the New Year. While most all towns have a parade, I am told that Fastnacht is best celebrated in "Catholic towns". (I believe this is because during the Reformation, the Protestants banned these celebrations). You know, too much emotion and revelry...

While Rio de Janeiro's carnival parades are known for their perfectly toned women, New Orleans' for its incredible floats, beads and jovial ambiance, here, animals, witches and "tricks" played upon parade watchers set the Schwäbisch-alemannische Fastnacht apart. I've been to two Carnival parades with Rose and Uli over the past two months and they are experiences I won't forget.

The first parade Adam and I went to was at night in the pouring rain and it was down-right creepy. I knew we were in trouble when Rose warned me to remove my hat because it might get taken. Taken? By whom? Once the parade began, it became clear what she was talking about. (Sadly, I don't have any pictures of that evening as if you can imagine that it wasn't safe for me to wear a hat, it certainly wasn't a good idea for me to have a camera exposed).

The costumes warn by the parade people were incredibly intricate and unique. There were wolves, bears, goats, birds, and the most diverse conceptions of witches I've ever seen. Adam told Rose and Uli: "in the US, witches are women." She replied, "oh yes, here too." Adam's confusion was that men dress up as witches here--and they are ugly and mean. The witches lit numerous stink bombs and carried broomsticks that they swept in the muddy street. They would then tap their filthy brooms on parade watchers' heads! Other "tricks" included dumping confetti, rubbing black gunk on people's faces, stealing shoes, and even physically picking up young women and carrying them away, often then placing them into a wheel barrow, wooden tub or other wheeled object. These "kidnapped" young women eventually were released by their captors and they would run back to their spectator spot, only to be harassed by the next group a few minutes later.

Thank God the only thing that happened to me was a confetti dumping. I'm not sure how well I would have taken the other "tricks." Oh, and of course I should mention that being Germany, alcohol overflowed at this event both among the spectators and the parade participants. Often those walking in the parade had a rustic cup suspended from their neck by a cord and they took a sip of their brew every few feet.

Needless to say, those participating in the parade appeared to be having a very, very, good time. And who could blame them? When else is it socially acceptable to go up to strangers, steal their hats and hit them on the head with a wooden broom?

Adam opted out of the second parade with the excuse of needing to get some work done. Rose concluded it was because he was afraid of the witches. Who can blame him? They are really scary. Happily, however, the parade on Sunday was a family-friendly, G-rated affair. Although the witches and animals still played tricks on the spectators, there were far fewer stink bombs and as it was a bright, sunny day, most of the suspect behavior seemed to have been curtailed. Here are some photos of Rottenburg's carnival:

The photos are of Rose, Nate and Linus and other festive folks:

It was really hard to capture the essence of the day with a photo. It was even more difficult to capture the incredible costumes of the parade participants. I took some video with our digital camera and have posted the best segments here. You will be able to hear some music, see some tricks and hear the chants. The parade participants yell "Narri!" and the spectators are to reply "Narro!" If you're lucky, you'll have some candy thrown at your head.

The parade began with this group who had a very cool jumping dance:

The jumping band was followed by an animal band:

Here's an example of the witches and the smoke bombs:

It's not only the witches who play tricks. The animals are also quite mischievous. Here you can see some birds attempting to steal a girl's shoe:

A girl in the spinning cage. Can you see her running away?:

A wolf carrying a blown-up pig's bladder tied to a stick, an animal tractor, and straw being rubbed into girl's hair:

Even wolves have to push strollers:

I think you can see why these parades are highly memorable events!

With much love from crazy, festive south-western Germany,
Amy