Carnival - Karneval

What is there to say about celebrating Carnival in Germany? Actually, not a whole bunch, since everyone I asked about it seemed to have a hard time explaining it to me. Christof said it was full of strange people. Sandra said I just need to see for myself. Sandra’s Thursday morning class said to tell me it was a mix between MTV Spring Break, Mardi Gras, and Halloween. Needless to say I was extremely interested, and  Alla and I headed out the Thursday before Lent to explore the possibilities. 

After some courage provided by champagne, I dressed up as a dinosaur in order to fit in with the masses, and was picked up by Alla (in a blonde wig and pink cowboy hat) headed with her family to Rietburg for the big parade. Too bad her host family had to meet me for the first time when I was dressed as a dinosaur, but what can you do. 

dinosaur.

By the end of the evening, which came early around 8pm, Alla and I still couldn’t pin point the meaning of it all. We’d witnessed old women dressed as witches, who captured men off of the street to put in a jail on wheels. We’d seen groups of people dressed in the same costumes and yelling “Hillaw!”. We’d been given way more free drinks than appropriate.  In order to seek refuge from the cold we found a beer tent and even though my feet were killing me due to wearing high heels for the first time since living in Germany, the music and the dancing got to us. However, after a man dressed as a doctor announcing to the whole tent I was an American, on top of a female proposing marriage to Alla, and on top of the heel breaking completely off of the boots Sandra let me borrow, we knew it was time to call it a night. 

Mass confusion in costume.

They just found these poor men in the street.

How do you say "politically incorrect" in German?

oh HI!

My next Carnival experience came the following Monday, when we dressed Mathis up in his Halloween bear costume, Sandra became a princess, and I found my trusty dinosaur costume once again. We met up with the Kückmann crew and watched the parade that ran from Rheda to Wiedenbrück. The parade was very similar to the local ones back home, and the best part was watching Ben scavenging candy like a wild man, seeing Tom walking constantly in the opposite direction (learning to walk is definitely more exciting than a parade!), and seeing Mathis completely satisfied with the whole situation, like the parade was put on solely for his viewing pleasure. 

Back in the bear costume.

Parades are so fun!

Greatest Picture Ever.

The Kückmann family and their great costumes.

Then I gave up desserts for Lent, and in return lost my reason to live.