Fasching or Karneval – maybe you have come across one of these words lately. They basically mean carnival, which is also called the “fifth season” in some parts of Germany. To get a better understanding of what comes next, let me give you a crash course about carnival season:
Carnival usually starts at the 11th of November at 11:11h and ends on the so called “Ash Wednesday” or “Aschermittwoch”. “Aschermittwoch” marks – in Christian tradition – the beginning of the time of fasting that lasts until Easter. But these seem to be the only common features: Terms and traditions can differ a great deal across the German carnival regions (and can be the reason heated discussions, too). Do you want to learn more about the German carnival traditions? A deep dive into the internet is very much worth it!
Not all over Germany, carnival is celebrated with the same enthusiasm, though. While in the southern and western parts of the country carnival celebrations are popular, the northern and eastern regions are rather indifferent towards this tradition. Göttingen for example is a city, where carnival is not really a thing. BLUG team members – each of them coming from a different carnival background – give you an exclusive look behind the scenes in their discussion about carnival:
