The celebration of carnival
Last week was an important week in lots of people’s calendars! Carnival is a colourful celebration to mark the beginning of the traditional fasting time of Lent, in the run up to Easter. In Germany a lot of time goes into planning for Carnival, which has different names depending on the part of the country you are in. Fasching, Fastnacht, and Karneval are just three. There are special foods to be eaten, in particular a delicious custard filled doughnut called a Berliner or a Krapfen. There are parades (Umzuege) through the streets, often with puppets and effigies passing comment on the particular politics happening at that time. Sweets are thrown out from these parades which is a particular delight for children. The special days are called Rosen Montag, Faschingsdienstag (Shrove Tuesday) and Ashermittwoch (Ash Wednesday). There are slogans to shout out, depending which area you are in. “Helau” is used in the central and south, Alaaf more to the north west. It’s a fun reason to plan a visit in early spring and try out your German language skills.
