karneval alden gordon german 102 professor rosenbaum
Post on 22-Dec-2015
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TRANSCRIPT
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.
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.
Political Commentary in Celebration
Especially in Köln the celebrations of Karneval have taken a distinctly politically humorous tone
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.