It is said there are five seasons in Germany‘s westernmost city, the spa resort of Aachen – Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Karneval – often referred to in this neck of the woods as Fastelovend (the eve before fasting) or Fasching. The official ‘season’ begins in November but things don’t really start to get going until the weekend after Twelfth Night. Of course, I had forgotten all about that as I wandered the cobbled streets of Aachen in early January, gazing obliviously at suspiciously ornate shop windows.
I didn’t even make the connection when I passed shop mannequins sporting truly heinous crimes against fashion.
It took great flocks of uniform-clad people…
…and startling feathers…
…to remind me that Fasching was well and truly underway in Aachen. So I followed the marching bands…
…to the Aula Carolina hall in Pontstraẞe and watched an almighty big band showdown.
In between the band performances there was a complicated affair of parodying local public figures and events, but even if you didn’t quite catch all the references, there was plenty of good food and even better beer so you laughed along with everyone else anyway.
Where's my backpack? 
Lovely pictures Ailsa! Indeed Carrnival officially starts November 1tth before the now non-existing lent before Christmas and then for the lapsed Carnival person last Thursday where the women take over the local governments. Fasching it is called in Bavaria. South-west Germany has the winter drive-out very old Aleman Karnival. In the Rhineland its purpose was to let it rip before lent and also to take the mickey out of the French military who were occupying the Rhineland for a long time – hence the uniforms. On Sunday the big parades start, I will try to get you some pics. Wish you were here, you’d have a blast. Alice xx
I wish I were there too, Alice. Are you going to the parades in Aachen? I’d love to see your pics if you manage to get any. I can’t believe the attacks in Cologne the other day, there are some Grade A monsters out there. 😦
Just rememebered this lingual beauty: The Aachen dialect is a like a completely different language with a lot of French expressions. Say “Stop that rubbish” in Aachen, you might say “Hür op met de Fissematentchen.” Which derives from the fact that French soldiers liked to lure the girls in Aachen to their tents “Visite ma tente” and the girls went: No vistematentes stuff here. xxx
Oh my god, that’s priceless, Alice, laughing my ass off right now. I just adore Öcher Platt, but I’d never heard that one before. Haha. 🙂
That is so funny – I would have never known what that sentence means. I grew up in SW Germany and fondly remember Fasching. However, once I was introduced to the Trinidad Carnival, I was done for. Warmth, color, and dancing in the streets all night – just can’t do it in good ole Germany in February!
Such vibrant photos.
Thanks Colline, the costumes were fabulous, I felt terribly under-dressed 🙂
Fantastic photo gallery, Ailsa! Such a colourful affair. 🙂
I remember stumbling across a Fasching costume at the dry cleaners in the first weeks we lived in Germany and wondering what kind of town we had moved to!
That first year, my kids were the only ones who showed up in kindergarten without costumes – something they did not soon let me forget. It was a festival I was completely unaware of before I was in the middle of it, and by the end of it I was hooked. I love the fifth season, thanks for sharing your Aachen experience 😊
Mm… Something about dressing up and drinking beer in south west Germany . I like the whole idea. Appreciate your post on this 🙂