We asked one of our German teachers about some interesting carnival customs in German-speaking regions.
“I would like to highlight the carnival of Basel. The celebration lasts for 3 days and nights and the whole town takes part in the celebrations. So much so that these 3 days are both school and public holidays in the town. The first parade of the “Fastnacht” in Basel, is the so-called “Morgenstraich”, starts at 4 a.m.. The lights in the city centre go out and are replaced by the participants’ lanterns. The carnival procession marches through the streets of the old town until dawn, accompanied by loud trumpet and flute music. This parade is followed by others over the three days.
Those who enjoy a bit of fun can listen to the traditional so-called “Schnitzelbangg” performances in the restaurants, in which Fastnacht artists summarise the events of the past year in a series of syntactic poems set to music. Interestingly, the “official language” of the Basel Carnival is the Basel dialect of German.”
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