Mardi Gras – Carnival – Fastnacht – Fasching

Call it what you like, but in Köln they call it Karneval!

Köln is Germany’s most infamous spot for pre-Lent festivities. It is blasphemous to be in Köln at Karneval time without a costume, so we suited up and headed out!

There are parades, street parties, and all kinds of other festive events! What surprised me was how many store fronts covered their display windows, even during opening hours. Every once in a while I felt like I was in Miami in October (hurricane season)! I guess they don’t call them the “crazy days” for nothing!

I haven’t been to a German parade yet that didn’t include the throwing of candies and treats, Köln included. However, I did see the use of an umbrella, for the first time, to capture said treats.

Genius or laziness…not quite sure.

On our first evening in Köln we went to a “Sitzung”, a Karnival tradition that began in Köln in 1823. Literally, it translates to “sitting” (as a noun) or “session”, but it is really a live entertainment show. There are comedians, bands, singers, dancers, you name it!

The place was packed and EVERYONE was in costume! I got a big kick out of these five ballerinas. They ended up sitting right next to us for the entire night! Those pink skirts were cute at first…until they got stuck in my pink 70s wig!

There are a lot of mixed-gender dance groups at Sitzungen, which include women called “Tanzmariechen”. Basically, they are the equivalent to American cheerleaders. There is a lot of carrying of the Tanzmariechen, as well as throwing them and spinning them, and looking up their skirts.

Sometimes the poor girls’ heads ended up in the rafters.

Jack Sparrow’s feather hat got in the way of my shot…but you get the point.

Like I said…the German version of our cheerleaders:

The German Pink also made an appearance:

American Pink + 20 pounds = German Pink

We spent five hours at the Sitzung…and it was still going! No Intermission either! We have no idea when that party finally ended!

I must say…Köln’s Karnival earned an A+ for ‘Costume Effort’ in my book. It was unbelievable how many people had really good costumes. Ultimately, I would never make it in Köln…Halloween is my least favorite holiday…ever. Good news: I now have a handy 70s outfit all ready to go for every Halloween for the rest of my life!

To see Trysta’s 1st visit to Köln click here