Forms and Prevalence
A Festival of Movement
Fastnacht is an annually recurring, wildly celebrated traditional festival that mobilises tens of thousands of actors and attracts millions of spectators in hundreds of cities and communities throughout the German-speaking world alone. Fastnacht takes place in the seventh week before moveable Easter, whose date is fixed on the Sunday after the spring full moon. That means it can vary by up to 35 days (a lunar phase of 28 days plus a maximum of 7 more days). The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which ends the multi-day Fastnacht festivities, can therefore fall on 3 February at the earliest and 9 March at the latest.
“Hansel” from Wolfach, photo: Ralf Siegele, www.ralfsiegele.de
A Festival of Movement
Fastnacht is an annually recurring, wildly celebrated traditional festival that mobilises tens of thousands of actors and attracts millions of spectators in hundreds of cities and communities throughout the German-speaking world alone. Fastnacht takes place in the seventh week before moveable Easter, whose date is fixed on the Sunday after the spring full moon. That means it can vary by up to 35 days (a lunar phase of 28 days plus a maximum of 7 more days). The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which ends the multi-day Fastnacht festivities, can therefore fall on 3 February at the earliest and 9 March at the latest.
“Hansel” from Wolfach, photo: Ralf Siegele, www.ralfsiegele.de
“Bajasse” from Rottweil, photo: Wilfried Dold
Core Elements and Main Features
The most important traditional element of Fastnacht is the large street parades – where the actors either hide their true appearance with masks, or change their appearance completely by dressing up in costumes. The emotional pull of the festival lies in its exuberance, in the foundation of community and in the creation of an underlying atmosphere characterised by festivity and laughter. From a sociological point of view, Fastnacht is characterised by four features: Playing with identity, turning the serious into the humorous, turning the world inside out and putting aside everyday life for a while. Areas with a particularly long and rich Fastnacht tradition in the German-speaking world are southern Germany, especially the southwest, northern Switzerland and Tyrol, as well as the Rhineland (from the Middle to the Lower Rhine).
“Bajasse” from Rottweil, photo: Wilfried Dold
Core Elements and Main Features
The most important traditional element of Fastnacht is the large street parades – where the actors either hide their true appearance with masks, or change their appearance completely by dressing up in costumes. The emotional pull of the festival lies in its exuberance, in the foundation of community and in the creation of an underlying atmosphere characterised by festivity and laughter. From a sociological point of view, Fastnacht is characterised by four features: Playing with identity, turning the serious into the humorous, turning the world inside out and putting aside everyday life for a while. Areas with a particularly long and rich Fastnacht tradition in the German-speaking world are southern Germany, especially the southwest, northern Switzerland and Tyrol, as well as the Rhineland (from the Middle to the Lower Rhine).
“Bajasse” from Rottweil, photo: Wilfried Dold
Southern German Form: Masks and Disguise
The defining characteristic of Fastnacht in southern and especially southwestern Germany is the total anonymity of the actors, who wear full masks. In the traditional areas of the Swabian-Alemannic region, for example, some of their forms date back to the 17th century. The art of mask carving has a rich history here, as does the production of the costumes, which are called “Hs” in the local dialect. When Fastnacht is played out on the street in southwestern Germany and Tyrol, it is only the actors who are masked while those looking on don’t wear any costumes (or, if they do, only to a limited extent). Masked onlookers would virtually be competing with the actors, and so them also dressing up is considered taboo.
“Schellnarren” from Wellendingen, photo: Ralf Siegele, www.ralfsiegele.de
Southern German Form: Masks and Disguise
The defining characteristic of Fastnacht in southern and especially southwestern Germany is the total anonymity of the actors, who wear full masks. In the traditional areas of the Swabian-Alemannic region, for example, some of their forms date back to the 17th century. The art of mask carving has a rich history here, as does the production of the costumes, which are called “Hs” in the local dialect. When Fastnacht is played out on the street in southwestern Germany and Tyrol, it is only the actors who are masked while those looking on don’t wear any costumes (or, if they do, only to a limited extent). Masked onlookers would virtually be competing with the actors, and so them also dressing up is considered taboo.
“Schellnarren” from Wellendingen, photo: Ralf Siegele, www.ralfsiegele.de
Catholic Roots and Confessionalism
The name of the festivities often referred to as the “fifth season” varies from region to region. In southwestern Germany, Switzerland and Tyrol, for example, the proper written word “Fastnacht” (from the German “Nacht vor dem Fasten”, meaning “night before fasting”) has become “Fasnacht” or “Fasnet” in the local dialects, and sometimes also “Fasent”. In Bavaria and in the Austrian federal states except Tyrol, the term “Fasching” is used, derived from “Vastschank” the serving of a fasting drink. In terms of geographical spread, the Fastnacht locations with the longest tradition are in the areas that remained Catholic after the Reformation. In Protestant areas, Fastnacht provided it was not formally banned, as was the case in Nuremberg had disappeared by the 1540s because it had lost its foundation owing to the spread of Reformation. Today, Fastnacht largely ignores the confessional map and is also celebrated in formerly Protestant areas, thanks to the founding of numerous new guilds and associations.
“Eckhexen” from Aulendorf, photo: Ralf Siegele, www.ralfsiegele.de
Catholic Roots and Confessionalism
The name of the festivities often referred to as the “fifth season” varies from region to region. In southwestern Germany, Switzerland and Tyrol, for example, the proper written word “Fastnacht” (from the German “Nacht vor dem Fasten”, meaning “night before fasting”) has become “Fasnacht” or “Fasnet” in the local dialects, and sometimes also “Fasent”. In Bavaria and in the Austrian federal states except Tyrol, the term “Fasching” is used, derived from “Vastschank” the serving of a fasting drink. In terms of geographical spread, the Fastnacht locations with the longest tradition are in the areas that remained Catholic after the Reformation. In Protestant areas, Fastnacht provided it was not formally banned, as was the case in Nuremberg had disappeared by the 1540s because it had lost its foundation owing to the spread of Reformation. Today, Fastnacht largely ignores the confessional map and is also celebrated in formerly Protestant areas, thanks to the founding of numerous new guilds and associations.
“Eckhexen” from Aulendorf, photo: Ralf Siegele, www.ralfsiegele.de
Two Prince’s Guardsmen during the Cologne Rose Monday procession, photo: Joachim Rieger
Rhineland Variant: Karneval
In the Rhineland, festivities are celebrated quite differently from those in southern and southwestern Germany. Here, they celebrate Karneval. This version of Fastnacht differs from the highly ritualised southern German one in that it is much more visibly upbeat and relaxed – something helped by the fact that, for Karneval, no masks are worn. In addition to an abundance of different costumes, the scene also features guards, corps and dance groups in historical military uniforms, accompanied by elaborate floats and parades from which tonnes of sweets and flowers are thrown out into the open air. The highlights are the magnificent Rose Monday processions, the largest in Cologne in front of a million spectators, where everyone is dressed up. Something as simple as donning a red cardboard nose is enough to escape the seriousness of everyday life. In addition to taking place on the street, Karneval also fills halls and pubs (weeks before the actual start of festivities). This “Sitzungskarneval” also plays a major role in the Rhineland.
Two Prince’s Guardsmen during the Cologne Rose Monday procession, photo: Joachim Rieger
Rhineland Variant: Karneval
In the Rhineland, festivities are celebrated quite differently from those in southern and southwestern Germany. Here, they celebrate Karneval. This version of Fastnacht differs from the highly ritualised southern German one in that it is much more visibly upbeat and relaxed – something helped by the fact that, for Karneval, no masks are worn. In addition to an abundance of different costumes, the scene also features guards, corps and dance groups in historical military uniforms, accompanied by elaborate floats and parades from which tonnes of sweets and flowers are thrown out into the open air. The highlights are the magnificent Rose Monday processions, the largest in Cologne in front of a million spectators, where everyone is dressed up. Something as simple as donning a red cardboard nose is enough to escape the seriousness of everyday life. In addition to taking place on the street, Karneval also fills halls and pubs (weeks before the actual start of festivities). This “Sitzungskarneval” also plays a major role in the Rhineland.
Two Prince’s Guardsmen during the Cologne Rose Monday procession, photo: Joachim Rieger
Blue-white “Funkenartillerie” from Cologne from 1870 with “Tanzmariechen”, photo: Raimond Spekking
Celebration in the Spirit of Romanticism
The Rhineland Karneval is a form of celebration that only came into being in the 1820s, turning the masquerade that had been common before (and which was considered outdated during the Enlightenment) into a respected and regular celebration. It, too, happened to have actors donning masks. The city of Cologne played a key role in this process, shaped by the spirit of Romanticism. The collective term “Karneval”, a product of the fashion of the time, comes from Italian and goes back to the Latin “carnis levamen”, meaning “a break from meat” and thus also refers to the beginning of fasting, which takes place from the start of Ash Wednesday. In addition to the word “Karneval”, however, the old German names for the festivities are still used in the Rhineland today: “Fassenacht” in the Middle Rhine and “Fastelaer” or “Fastelovend” in the Lower Rhine, meaning “the night before fasting”. The Rhineland Karneval and the southern German Fastnacht are not opposites – they are simply two different expressions of the same core tradition.
Blue-white “Funkenartillerie” from Cologne from 1870 with “Tanzmariechen”, photo: Raimond Spekking
Celebration in the Spirit of Romanticism
The Rhineland Karneval is a form of celebration that only came into being in the 1820s, turning the masquerade that had been common before (and which was considered outdated during the Enlightenment) into a respected and regular celebration. It, too, happened to have actors donning masks. The city of Cologne played a key role in this process, shaped by the spirit of Romanticism. The collective term “Karneval”, a product of the fashion of the time, comes from Italian and goes back to the Latin “carnis levamen”, meaning “a break from meat” and thus also refers to the beginning of fasting, which takes place from the start of Ash Wednesday. In addition to the word “Karneval”, however, the old German names for the festivities are still used in the Rhineland today: “Fassenacht” in the Middle Rhine and “Fastelaer” or “Fastelovend” in the Lower Rhine, meaning “the night before fasting”. The Rhineland Karneval and the southern German Fastnacht are not opposites – they are simply two different expressions of the same core tradition.
Blue-white “Funkenartillerie” from Cologne from 1870 with “Tanzmariechen”, photo: Raimond Spekking
International and Across Borders
Fastnacht and Karneval are by no means confined to the German-speaking world. Very similar forms of tradition can be found to varying degrees in over 20 countries in Europe. What they all have in common is how they serve as a last chance to enjoy life to the full before the beginning of Lent. They all serve as an anchor in the Christian calendar. Many of these customs resemble the seemingly old-style masquerade of the southwestern German Fasnet, while others are more akin to the “modernised” Karneval found in the Rhineland. The celebrations are particularly lively in Italy and Spain. But similar traditions can also be found in southern France, Belgium, east-central and south-eastern Europe, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and even England. Thanks the colonial powers, Fastnacht even landed overseas, where Rio de Janeiro in Latin America and New Orleans in North America are strongholds today.
Fosse-la-Ville / Belgium, Photo: Ralf Siegele, www.ralfsiegele.de
International and Across Borders
Fastnacht and Karneval are by no means confined to the German-speaking world. Very similar forms of tradition can be found to varying degrees in over 20 countries in Europe. What they all have in common is how they serve as a last chance to enjoy life to the full before the beginning of Lent. They all serve as an anchor in the Christian calendar. Many of these customs resemble the seemingly old-style masquerade of the southwestern German Fasnet, while others are more akin to the “modernised” Karneval found in the Rhineland. The celebrations are particularly lively in Italy and Spain. But similar traditions can also be found in southern France, Belgium, east-central and south-eastern Europe, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and even England. Thanks the colonial powers, Fastnacht even landed overseas, where Rio de Janeiro in Latin America and New Orleans in North America are strongholds today.
Fosse-la-Ville / Belgium, Photo: Ralf Siegele, www.ralfsiegele.de
Series of pictures on the European cultural heritage, photos: Ralf Siegele, www.ralfsiegele.de