Experience Carnival in Germany
Categories: Family and Kids, Sightseeing, Cultural and History, Entertainment
Most people have experienced Halloween, Mardi Gras or maybe even Carnival in Rio. But Germany is a great and affordable way to experience Fasching
(or also known as Fastnacht
, Karneval
), the German Carnival.
The biggest carnivals are in the cities along the Rhine river, mainly though in Cologne (Cologne vacation rentals | Cologne travel guide) and Mainz.
Every town and village has their festivities and votes their own Prince and Princess along with the royal family which contains a peasant (Bauer
), his Craziness and the virgin (Jungfrau
), which is usually portrayed by a male, along with other personalities of the royalties - in total eleven people. This is a crazy time in Germany and lots of fun to join!
Fasching time starts on November 11th at 11:11 a.m. and ends on Ash Wednesday (in February of the following year.)
The Fasching in Cologne and Mainz (Mainz vacation rentals | Mainz travel guide) involves thousands of spectators dressed up that yearly watch and cheer the famous parades with their colorful floats, dance groups, music groups, and of course the royalties. Most people take off from work to take part in the festivities during these crazy days.
Rosenmontag
is the main day of the carnival and occuers on the 42nd day before Easter. Thursday before is Altweiberfastnacht
(for women only.) Women all over join parties and are allowed to cut every man's tie off they see and are free to kiss any man they want to. This day also signals the beginning of the five day festivities of Fasching that lead nearly 1.5 million people to see the parades all over Germany or watch them on TV. The whole party time ends by Tuesday night by some cities burning the Nubbel
(which is the spirit of Fasching) to atone the sins committed during the carnival time. Ash Wednesday signifys the first normal day and is also the beginning of Lent.
If you would like to experience Fasching in a small village or town setting we recommend staying at our Live Like a German vacation apartments (e.g., in Wetzlar (Wetzlar vacation rentals | Wetzlar travel guide) or Cologne). We will provide details on events and festivities in the local destination guides for these destinations.
If you would like to experience Fasching in a big way we recommend to visit Mainz or Cologne. We have plenty of choices for holiday rentals in Mainz or Cologne. Please browse the Live Like a German web site to check out selection of quality vacation rentals.
Find and book quality Germany Vacation Rentals and Holiday Apartments ...
By Vacation Theme: Alpine Villages, Beach Vacations, German Castles, Historic Old Towns, Lake Vacations, Metropolitan Cities, Small Villages, Spa Towns, [ + ] more ...
By State: Baden-Wurttemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia, [ + ] more ...
More Germany Travel Related Articles
Nearby Destinations Where You Can Find Nice Germany Vacation Rentals
Cologne
Founded by the Romans in 38 B.C., Cologne (Köln) lies on the Rhine river, and is the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia. Besides visiting the awesome Gothic Cathedral, visitors will want to explore the city’s even older Romanesque churches, as…
Related: Cologne travel guide
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is famous for its nightlife, carnival, events, and shopping, and also for fashion and trade fairs like the Boot Messe (famous for boats and watersports) and Igedo (fashion). Every year more than 4 Million people visit the big fun fair (Kirmes)…
Related: Düsseldorf travel guide
Aachen
Aachen is a historic spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was a favored residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the medieval Kings of Germany. It is the westernmost city of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and…
Related: Aachen travel guide
Essen
Essen is a city in the center of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Located on the Ruhr River, its population of approximately 579,000 (as of June 30, 2008) makes it the 7th- or 8th-largest-city in Germany. The city was appointed European…
Related: Essen travel guide
Brühl
Brühl is a city in Germany, located 20 km south of Cologne, in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis. The town of Brühl was the residence of the Prince Bishops of Cologne. In the 18th century the Prince Bishop Clemens August replaced a former ruined castle and built…
Related: Brühl travel guide
Feedback, comments, questions?
If you have visited here please share your experiences with our readers on Facebook. Or, if you have other cool trip suggestions and would like to contribute a travel guide here, please drop me an email. We also are encouraging free-lancers, travel guide writers or publishers who have great Germany related content to send us an email and get in touch with us.
