Have fun at the street carnival

The Karneval festival season in Germany officially opens on November 11 every year, at exactly 11:11 a.m. The Germans call this festival with strong European culture "the fifth season".

The festival lasts for three months, until February of the following year in various associations. The excitement culminates in large street parades around mid-February, before Ash Wednesday (the start of the Christian Lenten week). This year, the street festival falls between February 19 and 22.

Karneval is Latin for "farewell to meat". Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts six weeks until Easter.

During Lent, Christians are not allowed to eat meat and drink alcohol, not to do bad things, to show repentance and repentance for previous mistakes. Therefore, the purpose of Karneval is for everyone to have fun, enjoy, and eat comfortably before entering Lent.

Thư từ Đức: Vui hết nấc tại lễ hội hóa trang đường phố - Ảnh 1.

Funny decorated plows, tractors... participate in the parade

In the city of Giessen, where I live, the street carnival took place on February 19. After more than 2 years of interruption due to the pandemic, this year's festival attracted a lot of attention. Many agencies, factories, brands, farms, businesses and clubs... operating in the city participated.

At exactly 2 p.m., people flocked to the downtown area, where main roads were barricaded to make way for the parade.

Everyone wore fancy costumes. The girls were pretty and radiant in medieval princess dresses. The boys dressed up as pirates, policemen, or clowns with noses as red as tomatoes... Children enjoyed having their faces painted funny, wearing impressive costumes like bats, sailors, bees, butterflies...

From afar, people heard the sound of trumpets and drums. Following them were tractors, plows, and large trucks slowly approaching.

Each car represents a headquarters, a brand or a club... Each car is decorated with fresh flowers, mannequins or has a unique design. One looks like a mobile tropical garden, another looks like a red furnace, an oversized tumbler...

In front of each car is a large speaker, wherever it goes, the music blares, making everyone dance non-stop in the cold weather. On the car is an army of kings, princesses, princes..., around the car are dancers in sparkling costumes constantly shooting confetti, throwing candy, cakes, toys... into the crowd.

Adults and children cheered, shouting "Helau" (roughly translated: Hura) in response as they rushed to pick it up. Adults laughed happily when they were offered a golden glass of beer, while children were happy when their bags were filled with marshmallows, chocolates... The whole downtown area was bustling and jubilant, causing people living on both sides of the street to open their windows and wave at the passing cars.

The parade ended, the city returned to its normal rhythm of life, quiet and peaceful. But complete satisfaction was still evident in the eyes and excited voices of each participant.

They seem to escape all their daily worries to transform into their favorite characters and have fun to the fullest. Perhaps that is the precious point of a colorful traditional festival that German people always cherish and preserve!

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