I'm not sure how we missed out on the whole Fasching holiday the last time we lived here in Germany. Honestly, I really don't remember it being a big deal, but recently I learned just how little I knew about Fasching and how interesting the holiday celebration is. Last week my daughter's German tennis coach informed me that there would be no tennis for this entire week because of Fasching. In fact, the German schools have holiday for the week as well. Wow, I thought this must be a huge deal because we have never not had tennis for an entire week, except Christmas. My daughter's coach then went on to ask me how we would celebrate Fasching? David looked completely shocked and surprised when I informed him that we had no plans to celebrate the Fasching holiday. He was stunned by my response and went on to ask if my daughter's school would take the holiday off and if my husband had it off from work. This was very amusing to me because of course Americans do not get the week off to celebrate Fasching, but wouldn't it be nice if we did. David then went on to inform me that he would be dressing up as Batman for Fasching, and true to his personality, he then went on to explain who Batman was, thinking maybe I wasn't familiar with this character. Really? Too funny.
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| Waiting for the parade to start |
After my conversation with David we decided we should attend a Fasching parade with the kids, thinking they would probably really enjoy it. We really had no idea what to expect or what it was even all about. As I started looking into the celebration and holiday I learned Fasching is similar to Mardi Gras and Carnival and is centered around the religious holiday of Easter and the upcoming day of Ash Wednesday. I also learned that Fasching means "Fools Parade" and it is celebrated differently depending on the region of Germany. I learned people dress up like witches and wear these AMAZING handmade wooden masks. Fasching has evolved over the years and there are now all sorts of silly costumes, sort of like Halloween in the States. The holiday is celebrated with marching bands and parades, but the tradition remains centered around the witch and elaborate wooden masks.
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| Interesting wood carved mask |
For our first Fasching experience we decided to visit Weil Der Stadt, a nearby medieval town we had not yet had the opportunity to visit, but really wanted to. Weil Der Stadt is a traditional German town in the middle of a beautiful countryside with farms and walking paths surrounding it. On our short drive to Weil der Stadt we saw many horses out in the countryside either being ridden or walked by their owners. It was such a beautiful sight to see on our way to the parade. I love the way Germany has open spaces for all sorts of outdoor things. This is certainly one of my favorite things about Germany; open spaces everywhere where anyone can walk, ride bikes, or even take their horse for a nice stroll. Most cities and towns are connected by these wonderful multipurpose paths.
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| Gypsy Float getting ready for its turn in the Parade |
Markets), I'm always in awe of the way German's celebrate their traditions. There is always some sort of festival or reason to celebrate here in Germany with family and friends. Their strong belief in tradition was evident as I looked at the costumes and wooden masks that seemed to be passed down for generations. As I've attended quite a few European festivals now, I always notice how there are no franchises making a profit at these events, only Mom and Pop (Mutter and Vater to be correct) type businesses serving the standard fair; bratwurst, pizza, donners and of course my personal favorite crepes. Even though it was a cold day, entire families were dressed in vivid costumes with matching wooden masks and everyone that participated in the parade seemed so happy and proud of their town.
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| Chef float, they were actually cooking & handing out food! |
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| Monks passing out beer in the parade |
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| Weil der Stadt town center |
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