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Hello dear German learners,
Hello dear spectators,
welcome to Deutsch global.
Our thema today is Carnival.
And today I would like to talk with Barbara about Carnival or the " fifth season " in Germany.
During the carnival season you were in Germany this year, isn´t it ?
Hello Nadja. Yes, exactly.
I was in February in Baden -Württemberg and I made an inquiry about Fasent -
so is the Carnival time called in this region.
And I was even there on two parades:
namely a Fasentumzug (Carnival´s parade) and a Witches parade.
That was a great experience.
Tell me, when is this custom originated in Germany?
There is no specific date for it.
No one knows exactly when this practice originated.
Fasching, Fastnacht , Karneval - what do these terms mean ?
Carnival referred originally to the Sunday before Ash Wednesday
and indicated that this was the last opportunity for pleasure and great food and drink
before the 6-week fasting.
So it was a time with no meat.
This began on Ash Wednesday and is still so today, in many places.
Why are there three different names for one and the same party?
Near Mainz, they call it “Fastnacht”.
The southern German version of carnival is “Fasching”.
“Karneval” - they say in the Reihnland , especially in Cologne.
And when begins the carnival ?
Well, that is funny :
The Carnival season begins in Germany on 11 November at 11.11 o´clock .
And why, exactly, in November at 11.11 o'clock ?
“Eleven " is known already for centuries as a fool number.
The mayors must give the town hall key to the "fools",
so to pass it to the carnival people and then they will reign in the city that day.
Moreover, in every town are a carnival prince and princess chosen.
Are they celebrating in November for real?
Of course not.
From that date various clubs build their floats ,
prepare their costumes and practice for the parade.
So, the main season begins in January, is that right?
Exactly. It begins on 6 January with the Epiphany.
And how long does the carnival last?
The actual carnival lasts six days.
It starts on Thursday before the Sunday of Carnival
and is called in southwestern Germany "dirty " Thursday
and in the region around Rhein " Women's Carnival " .
The highlight will be the Carnival on Monday and the Shrove Tuesday .
Do you find this period nice?
Yes, of course. Everybody dresses up - whether young or old.
And the roads are then colorful decorated.
There are many events , meetings and balls.
There is always something going on.
And do you know what is actually “Weiberfastnacht” or “Altweiberfastnacht” ?
Yes, this is on Thursday.
On this day, in several regions, the ladies cut the men's Ties off .
This is very funny.
Are there many different carnival traditions ?
Yes , many of the old customs go back to the time before Christ.
During this time there were rituals to chase away the winter with fire, creepy characters, bells and rattles.
These were very important for the people.
So, fool time in Germany is a crazy time. One must experience this once!
Thank you very much for the info and maybe we'll meet someday on a parade in Germany .
Yes, thank you too for beeing here.
We are saying together good-bye.