Fasching!!

What in the WORLD is going on around here? Everybody has confetti in their hair, the kids are dressed up as if for a halloween party and it sounds like a drum-corps competition is going on in every small town...

Welcome to Fasching.

From the beginning of January through Ash Wednesday (and a little beyond) the local towns and villages in Southern Germany, in fact, in most of Germany, celebrate the end of Winter with a combination party/carnival/masquerade. It is similar to the Mardi Gras or Carnival of New Orleans and Central and South America, but with a few regional differences thrown in. The music is LOUD. Brass bands, with a solid drum line, are the main form or noise. They are called "Guggemusick" groups, 'gugge' being the word for the sound of a paper (or plastic) bag being popped open and shut (a loud annoying noise) so the bands are basically just groups designed to make a lot of noise. Now, don't get me wrong, these groups are actually pretty good. They would put many a 'pro' drum line to shame back in the states, and the costumes are way over the top. I really wish I could have caught some audio, so you could experience what we did, but let's just say "you had to be there".

On the down-side of Fasching, it may have had some significance at one time, but I have not found out much except that it has it's roots in Roman Catholicism, with a lot of local traditions thrown in (ok, yes, it's syncretic...). The pagan festivals of 'chasing away the Winter' and old fertility rites were merged into the the time between Epiphany and Easter, and so you have Fasching. In some towns, the festivities get a bit out of control (with so many people wearing masks, it can become a matter of "anything goes") but in our little corner of Germany, the season seems to be more of a "let's get together and have a party" event. The food, I must say, is excellent. I am sure that the locals make a good bit of extra change during this time, with the extra people in town and the additional revenue from the food and drink. One interesting note: stupid drunk guys are stupid drunk guys no matter where you are. There are always people who take the idea of "party" too far and get themselves into a pickle (literally), and I am not sure that they were up for work the next day...

On the other side of the coin, the majority of people seemed to be having fun playing or listening to the music, dressing up in outrageous costumes, doing traditional dances and generally just having a wonderful time. Each town has one or two clubs or 'cliques' that the adults may join. Our own village, Rümmingen, has it's little cliques called the Dorfhexen (literally, the "village witches"...and no, they are not into Wicca, or majick, or any of that other junk...think more along the lines of "Hansel and Gretel" meets Morris Dancing, ok? They are the group in the red kerchiefs, yellow tops, and green dresses in the pics below). I'll just have to let the pictures tell the rest of the story...