So who has Carnival?

[finknottle]

Here in Germany they're in full swing having parties in silly costumes, cutting off ties and "storming" the council offices. True to form, the Germans take being silly very seriously
All we ever do is stand and watch the parade on Sunday as the people on the floats throw sweets to the children. Luckily we know a couple who have a restaurant so they invite us to drink Gluehwein with them while the parade's on.
The dss are taking part this year and are torn between excitement and annoyance that dd will get loads of sweets.

What happens where you are?

[finknottle]

Never knew that - thought it was mainly in Catholic countries I am often scathing about it but actually enjoy a bit of colour in February and the 2 days off school - that's Spring half-term here
And dd loves dressing up

[admylin]

Here in Berlin it isn't quite as crazy as down south, though they do a parade now but it's not even small town standard compared to Tuebingen where we used to live.
In Tuebingen the dc got months worth of sweets thrown at them, it was amazing! In Berlin last year they just got pockets full and in school they had a party. The parents sent in so much food for the party that some of the mums took the left over stuff to the homeless people outside the train station on friedrichstrasse.

[finknottle]

Yes, FioFio, or rather at this time of year. Officially here the start is 11.11am on 11th November but it's all a build-up to Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras. This weekend and then Mon and Tues are the big days.

Mardi Gras in Rio or freezing feet in Germany, hmm?

[McDreamy]

Carnival time here in Cyprus too! All the shops are full of fancy dress and the big towns are having carnivals at the weekends. The camp here has a big carnival afternoon tomorrow for the children.

[Carmenere]

OMG I went to carnival in Trinidad once! It was the wildest couple of days of my life. Boy do they know how to party!!

[finknottle]

Yeah, I think it'd be really great in warmer weather

[admylin]

That's what always puts me off, why have carneval in this weather? I always remember carneval in the UK in summer. You have to dress your kids in double vests and tights under their costumes to go on the parades!

[lapsedrunner]

Yes, DS has Faschingfest at his kindergarten tomorrow. He says he's dressing up as a fireman. We're in Austria by the way.

[belgo]

We have carnival in Belgium - my dd will have pancakes at her nursery school, and will dress up in fancy dress.

[lptwinkletoes]

Hiya im new here ive lived in germany for a year and half now and i never knew what all the fancy dress costumes and carnival things were about

[SSShakeTheChi]

Iptwinkletoes at not knowing what it was all about. I remember the first time I saw one of those carnival programmes on tv here, the audience were shrieking with laughter so I thought, this must be something good. I totally didn't get it. There were some older men dressed like court jesters who were obviously in charge and some poeple telling jokes and I think blowing a trumpet. I didn't manage to find any of it funny at all
but I think I did understand what they were saying. Must have been missing all the innuendoes.

The fancy dress part of it is good though. Apart from Fasching, I don't find fancy dress for dc here, so I usually get an outfit for dd and a few other things for dressing up at home. This year I bought a Viking helmet with horns, a pirate hat, a feathered mask, some Indian stuff and her outfit since it's all so cheap.

Where we live in Berlin, you can manage to ignore it completely if you choose to. It really isn't a big thing like it is in South Germany. Although I did read that there is going to be a carnival parade down Ku'damm at the weekend. I might pack dh off to that with dd. Don't do outdoor things unless we have a temperature over 10 degrees.

[lucy5]

We have carnival here in Spain too. There has been hours of TV devoted to groups of men dressed in silly costumes singing comedy songs. In Cadiz carnival is much bigger and these men roam the streets on lorries singing and there is a huge procession.

Here in Estepona it's a bit quieter but dd is really looking forward to the procession.

[admylin]

Today dd is celebrating Carneval in school. She went as a vampire and there was a huge buffet type table set out for their breakfast - they were going to be celebrating from 8:20 till 14:10 so goodness knows what she will be like when I pick her up! Make the most of it because from year 3 they don't do it anymore! Ds is quite pleased not to have to dress up but most of the girls in his class were very sad.
I would put a photo of her dressed up on here but I can't find any info explaining how to do it.

[SSShakeTheChi]

vampire sounds wild. I gave up on the pharaoh outfit in the end since I couldn't find gold material ANYWHERE! So I bought an Indian outfit. She's happy with that. Our school has carnival on Monday - Rosenmontag. Why is it called Rosenmontag BTW, do you know?

[lapsedrunner]

SSShakeTheChi - (from Wikipedia) Rosenmontag (literally: "rose monday") peaks out German "Carnival" and coincides with the finalization of the German Lent. It is not a bank holiday, and is also not celebrated nationwide, but in the places that celebrate Carnival, most companies give employees a half day off (which most employees then extend to a whole day by taking a half day's holiday).

[Scootergirl]

We went to Karneval in Germany today and DD's favourite game is now "marching band" where she marches round playing the drum and we have to shout "Halt-bol" (which they all shouted - no idea what it means!) at her. Then we have to swap and be the carnival people who throw sweets at her...

It's getting quite wearing

[PeachyClair]

here


just to prove we can do Carnival in the Uk as well as anyone

this si the circuit we are involved with

One of the biggest carnivals in the world I'll have you know- just not so well publicised

(this one was 100ft long and won, btw- do take a look)

[PeachyClair]

oops bad link

[berolina]

My first encounter with carnival in Germany was when I was in hospital with acute gastroenteritis, keeping nothing down, on a drip and in a room between two old ladies who watched one of those interminable carnival programmes. Silly hats and 'jokes' followed by trumpet fanfares - 'da-da, da-DA'. Thought I was hallucinating due to dehydration. Since then I've never been able to get into it.

[SSShakeTheChi]

but were you being tortured?! Gawd that's horrendous.

I thought Bavaria looked good on the news. Lots of grown ups in fancy dress drinking those huge glasses of beer and dancing to "Skandal um Rosie!" I would have quite happily joined in there but I don't get those sit-down show events. In Berlin, carnival is pretty much a non-event, you just see small dc dressed up but they enjoy it.

Admylin at our school even the fifth graders were in fancy dress. Mind you Catholic school so I suppose they have to really get into it!

Which brings me back to Rosenmontag. I just don't understand the connection to roses, Lapsed. Why is it Rose Monday? So I followed your example and googled it.

Apparently according to Wikipedia no one knows "..wobei sich Rosen ursprünglich nicht auf die Blume, sondern auf das Verb rasen bezog. Anderen Interpretationen zufolge verdankt der Rosenmontag seinen Namen dem vierten Fastensonntag, dem Rosensonntag."

Not that it REALLY matters but I was just curious Quite like the idea of Rasenmontag

[admylin]

ds would go mad if he had carneval in the 5th too! Much to his dismay, all his class begged the teacher and today in the last 2 lessons he has carneval - he has put tatoos right up both arms and has gone as a Schwerverbrecher so he says!
On Sunday at the Hauptbahnhof the train to Cologne was packed, we just saw them all waiting on the platform. Then a Kung Fu group took over the whole station with 2 chinese dragons and a lion and did a new year dragon dance - coincided nicely with carneval atmosphere and was much better!