Bananas to Bunt Cakes!

So we have been told that in Germany there are 5 seasons…. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and FASCHING… and after yesterday’s adventure we know why!

First of all let me give you a little history lesson:

  Fasching is Germany's carnival season. It starts on the 11th day of November at exactly 11minutes after 11am and ends at the stroke of midnight on Shroud Tuesday - often referred to as Fat Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday).  Fasching (also known as Karneval) is a time of festivity and merry making - a time to break the rules, poke fun at those who make them and then to make your own new rules.

Now that we got that out of the way…I can let you in our fun!


Waiting for the Parade to start!



We drove about 45 min to the city of Mainz, which holds one of the largest Fasching parades in all of Europe.  We really had no idea what we were about to get out selves into but decided that taking in some local culture would provide much more entertainment on our extra day off than staying at home and cleaning.  What we found is almost beyond words.  Let’s just put it this way combine Mardi Gras in New Orleans with Halloween in Las Vegas and you have Fasching in Mainz.  There were crowds and crowds of people dressed in outrageous costumes lined up to watch one of the craziest parades I could have ever imagines. 

Now when I say parade here, I am not talking about pitching a lawn chair on the side of the street and watching as a few floats and bands stroll by.  I am talking about claiming a space amongst carnival rides and beer and braut stands to participate in a four hour 1/2 display of German pride.  Now if you are like me I know what you are thinking…..a four and a half our parade???  Yes, my friends, we stood on the same street curb for over 5 hours singing songs, dancing, shouting Helau (sounds like hello- the traditional Fasching greeting), and catching goodies as they came flying off outrageous floats.  Forget the cheap bubble gum and mints… here is a list of things that ended up in our basket by the end of the festivities….Fruits (yes we caught a banana), aspirin (to help your stomach with all the drinking that was going on), pretzels, snack cakes, toys, flowers in pots, dish rags, energy drinks, full size candy bars, cookies, and more candy than I could have imagined.  There were times when I literally had to cover my head (and my belly) because things were raining down upon us!

We really had a great time getting to know more about this great country that has taken us in and created moments that we will never forget.  Next year we will definitely be dressing up alongside our German neighbors, but perhaps since we will have a little one in tow we will pick a smaller town in which to celebrate Fasching!!