Carnival

What is carnival?

• It is an annual celebration of life found in many countries of the world.

Where did the word “carnival” come from?

The followers of the Catholic religion in Italy started the tradition of holding a festival right before the first day of Lent. Catholics called it carnevale — which means “to put away the meat.”

The word Fasching dates back to the 13th century and is derived from the Germanic word vaschanc or vaschang, in modern German: Fastenschank = the last serving of alcoholic beverages before Lent.

• Some of the best-known traditions were first recorded in medieval Italy. The carnival of Venice was for a long time the most famous carnival.

• Right after the revolution in ‘89 the catholics spread this tradition in Romania too.

• It started with annually organisations of masquerades.

Swabian masquerades

• The local masquerades in Northwestern Romania were usually organised by harmonists.

• All the balls started in the basement of the town hall where all the people gathered together and said a prayer for the days during the lent.

• The "Swabian-Alemannic" Carnival, known as Fastnacht, traces back to Baden and Swabia.It traditionally represents the time of year when the reign of the cold, grim winter spirits is over.

Habits during the carnival

• People crowd avenues while singing and dancing songs and dances learned from their ancestors

• All they eat during the carnival is meat• Farmers usually bring their wares to town in

order to share them with the others• They gather around a campfire while dancing

• On the last Thursday before Fastnacht(schmutziger Donnerstag) women cut off men's ties.

• This tradition began in Bonn in the 1800s when the washer women there revolted against the dominance of men in carnival.

• They formed a women's carnival committee.

Since 1997 annually masquerade balls has been taking place in our school with assistance from the German forum.

Themes: ‘’Fairytale World’’, ‘’Boudoir’’, ‘’The 70’s’’, ‘’The 20’s’’, ‘’Gothic Victorian’’.