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The Week in Germany: Culture

November 14, 2007

Zany Winter Days: Carnival Season Begins in Germany

Carnivalists celebrate the beginning of the carnival session 2007/2008 in downtown Cologne, Germany, on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. The festivities will continue for the next three months (to varying degrees), resulting in a period of utter chaos sometime in February. German budget airline Germanwings are already advertising offers for those wanting to escape. Photo and caption: Deutsche Welle

People dressed as clowns sang and danced in the streets on Sunday (Nov. 11) as the carnival season got off to a blustery start in Germany.

In cities along the Rhine River, tens of thousands braved gusty winds to turn out in fancy dress as the merriment began at 11.11 am on the dot.

Princes, peasants and dancers entertained thousands of spectators who had come to see the spectacle in Düsseldorf, Cologne and Mainz.

With temperatures hovering around 10 centigrade, carnival enthusiasts linked arms to keep warm in front of the famous Cologne Cathedral.

In Mainz, ceremonies began with the reading of the traditional "Jester's Constitution".

Carnival started a day earlier in Koblenz because parts of the city center had to be sealed off on Sunday while a World War II bomb was defused.

The highlight of the carnival season is Rose Monday when colorful floats wind their way through cities and participants fling candies at spectators lining the route.

Rose Monday falls on Feb. 4 next year. The so-called street carnival begins on the Thursday before and is marked by displays of fancy dress, dancing and bouts of heavy drinking. (dpa)

Links:

Zany Winter Days (InFocus special feature from Germany.info)

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