Carnival. Karneval? Fastnacht. or is it Fasching? maybe Mardi Gras? Hmm...
You've probably heard of the celebration. You may even know it has something to do with Christianity or Easter, or that it's even older than that. But what does it celebrate, really? and why do so many places do it just a little bit different? What's up with that?
Who celebrates it, even? If you're from a country that celebrates carnival you'll know that the celebrations tend to be pretty localized. When there are huge carnival parties taking place for New Orleans' Mardi Gras, Venice's Carnevale or Mainz's Fassenacht then, just a stone's throw away in their culturally-similar neighbours, no parties. So carnival is a local thing, but it's also... global. What's up with that?
Someone needs to explain all of this!
Welcome to my new series, Mini's Fassenacht, where I plan to detail the history and cultural traditions of the carnival season, from its ancient roots right way through to the modern day. We'll detail some of the biggest celebrations and their traditions: the fun, the fantastical, and the downright silly.
As Mainz's foremost cuddly wurm, it's hard to avoid the spirit of carnival. Each part of the city hosts its own parade, celebrating local clubs and businesses. Residents adorn themselves with the Fassenacht colors (Red, White, Blue and Yellow) or silly costumes and sing (sometimes equally silly) carnival songs. Big parties are thrown in the streets and bars; restaurants become bars. It's a multi-day extravaganza all building up to the final day, Rosenmontag, when the whole city - plus another 500,000 people - come out to celebrate.
But that's just one city, in one country. Like I said, carnival is global - someone's doing it on nearly every continent! Join me on my exploration over the next few months as we figure out... what's up with that!
