Karneval in Cologne

When I was preparing to move to Germany, I asked experienced friends for advice on what to do and see. My friend Nancy, who has organized study tours in Deutschland, had but one recommendation. “You have to go to Carnival in Cologne,” she said. So I spent last weekend celebrating the Rhineland tradition of Karneval in Köln, Bonn, and Bad Godesberg.

Karneval has the same roots as Mardi Gras, but has become more secular over time and a forum for political satire in recent years. Starting with Weibersfastnacht, or Women´s carnival, on Thursday, the partying continues with local Zugs, or parades, on Sunday and Rose Monday, followed by the burning of effigies to mark the end on Shrove Tuesday. The parades are the crescendo of the Carnival season, which begins on November 11, at 11:11 am.

There are some great photos of floats satirizing Bush at http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0208-10.htm.

Luckily, I went as the guest of a highly experienced native reveller, my colleague Max, who coached me on proper participation. Most importantly, everyone wears a costume. He dressed as a kangaroo, and I was an American cowgirl. Traditions vary between towns, for instance, in Cologne people shout “Alaaf!” as a carnival greeting, but in Dusseldorf, they cry “Helau!” and call the festival Fasching. The people on the floats only respond to cries in the local dialect, so I learned a few key words in Kölsch: “Kamelle!” for candy, “Strüfe!” for flowers, and “Bützchen! for kisses.

We started Saturday evening by the Rhine river in Köln, with fellow Humboldt scholar Andrew and his friend Sarah. A conservative Republican, Andrew said he dressed as the craziest thing he could imagine, “I´m a Communist!”

The narrow, cobbled streets of the old city were streaming with people of all ages, laughing, singing, and dancing. Kölsch, the local beer, was for sale on every corner. We toasted the evening with some standard half-liter bottles and gaped at the great silliness unleashed by the usually dignified Germans. Andrew discovered that he could drink beer off his fake beer belly – except when attempting beer belly dancing at the same time.

Max led us to the Geisterzug, or ghost parade, so-called because it started in protest of plans to cancel carnival during the Gulf war. It remains popular because it´s a participatory parade, unlike the others, which feature floats and marching bands prepared by Carnival clubs for months in advance. We just jumped right into the parade and spent a few hours bouncing through Cologne to the beats of various drumming groups.

I saw a more traditional parade on Sunday, when we joined a group of Max´s friends in his native Bad Godesberg. The bands and groups of marching girls were dressed in over-the-top military style uniforms to parody the French troops that occupied the Rhine region during the reign of Napoleon, and the Prussian troops that drove them out. The lack of commercialism was refreshing. The banners of the performing groups were marked with coats-of-arms rather than corporate logos. It was a real family affair, with many baby strollers mixed in among the marchers. I saw one kid happily snoozing away amidst a drum corps.

As each float passed, candy rained down, causing a scramble underfoot. An estimated 140 tons of sweets were thrown in Köln alone! I filled a large bag which is being shared around the office.

On Monday I hung out in the Bonn old city with one of our language teachers from last summer, Marc, who was working in a bar along the parade route. This led the best seat ever, in the window, with a streetside beer seller just below.

I made it back to Köln for the very tail end of the parade, just in time to see the Prinz, or Prince of the Carnival, whose float comes last. As the estimated 1.4 million people began to disperse, I was struck by how peaceful and well organized things were. A parade of garbage trucks was there immediately, with long tubes for sucking up trash and broken glass off the street. Lots of police were present, but they were quite relaxed. I saw a group of officers leaning on a parade barrier, one holding a bouquet of flowers.

Besides beer, what is ever-present at Karneval are the songs. There are dozens of songs with simple melodies and repeated lyrics that people sing over and over with gusto. I learned the words to a few, but the ones in Kölsch are hard to remember. Some songs were easier, like “dicke mädchen sind von Himmel geschenkt,” or fat girls are heaven-sent.

Here are the words to the one I sang the most: (you can hear a rendition in the movie)

Ja, das ist prima, viva Kolonia!

Wir lieben das leben, die liebe und die lust,

Wir glauben in ein lieben Gott und haben noch immer durst!

Basically it means ´we love life, the love and the delight, we believe in a loving God, and so we are still thirsty´. (German friends, please pardon my awful spelling and translation, corrections welcome!)

See the action on YouTube,