carnival
History
The origins of carnival lie in 12th century Christianity, when Lent was preceded by the carnival season. During Lent, people abstained from meat, fat and milk, so it was a time of discipline and self-control. The carnival season, on the other hand, was a time of general revelry, with role-playing games and great feasts, and was the opposite of Lent, providing a carefree and cheerful atmosphere before the strict fasting period and during the dark and cold winter days. The term carnival can also be traced back to this period, as the name is derived from the Latin “carne vale”, meaning “farewell to meat”.
In the 18th century, the electors began to dress up in Venetian masks at their carnival celebrations. The electors imported this trend from Venice to Germany.When Napoleon then banned Venetian masks, the carnival died out for a short time.
In the 19th century, the Prussians ruled large parts of Germany, including the Rhineland, and by making fun of the Prussians during the carnival season, the Rhinelanders revived the carnival. It was at this time that the carnival traditions and concepts we know today were born.
Cologne Carnival today
The carnival season begins on 11.11 at 11.11am and ends on Ash Wednesday. On 11.11. you can see thousands of people in costume dancing, singing and drinking in the streets and bars of Cologne, and you can hear loud carnival music on every corner. By 11.11 most people are already drunk. After 11.11, the Christmas break begins and does not end until 7 January, during which time there are no carnival events. After the Christmas break, more and more carnival events take place and you will see more and more people in costume. On Fat Thursday, 6 days before Ash Wednesday, the whole city turns into a kind of festival, with loud carnival music playing everywhere and people dressing up and drinking in the streets. Many people take extra days off work, other businesses are closed during this time. The whole city is out and about celebrating carnival. On Rose Monday there is the Rose Monday Parade. Around 12,000 participants (the various carnival clubs) take part in this procession, throwing candy and flowers to the spectators. On the night of Tuesday to Ash Wednesday, the carnival ends at exactly 12 o’clock. Traditionally, the Nubbel is burned on this night, after which the people of Cologne blame it for all the sins they have committed during carnival.
Triumvirate
The triumvirate consists of three main carnival characters: The Prince, The Farmer and The Maiden.
The prince has been around since 1823, when he was the only figure in the carnival and was initially called “Hero”. It was not until 1871 that his name was changed to “Prince”.The prince is the highest representative of the carnival. He is addressed as “His Royal Highness” and at the proclamation is symbolically given a plank by the Lord Mayor which the Prince swings over his foolish people.
The farmer has been an integral part of the carnival since 1872 and is addressed as “seine Deftigkeit”. He stands for Cologne’s defensiveness and the liberation of the city from the power of the archbishops in the Battle of Worringen. For this reason, the farmer is also depicted as a knight with a sword in many older illustrations. He wears a hat with 125 peacock feathers, which stand for the immortality of the city, and also refers to Cologne’s imperial status in the early modern period. He is the city keeper and receives the city key at the proclamation, which he wears on his belt from then on.
The Maiden is the protective mother of Colonia and is addressed as “Her loveliness”. Her crown, which looks like a crenellated wreath and is therefore also called a mural crown, together with her virginity, symbolises the impregnability of the city of Cologne. The maiden’s robe is reminiscent of Agrippina, the founder of Cologne. The virgin is always represented by a man, as the Cologne Carnival was for a long time an all-male society. Only in 1938 and 1939 was the Maiden a woman, as the NSDAP did not tolerate a man in a woman’s costume. Since 1993, when she is proclaimed, she is given a silver mirror to check her beauty and charm.
The Drei Gestirn has up to 400 appearances per season, around half of which take place in social institutions such as hospitals, children’s homes or retirement homes. The remaining performances take place at carnival meetings and other carnival events of all kinds, e.g. at the Rose Monday Parade, at the German Armed Forces or at the tax office.
Entire songs have been written about how it is every Cologne man’s dream to be a prince one day.
To join the Dreigestirn, you have to be part of one of the 12 largest carnival clubs. To be accepted there, you have to be a man. Most of the members are politicians or rich men. If you want to become a prince you have to pay about 500.000€, the maiden and the farmer have to pay about 300.000-350.000€.
Most of the money goes towards planning the carnival events, as these two clubs organize the largest and most important events
The number 11
The number eleven has many different meanings. On the one hand, it is a foolish number as it lies between numbers that are very significant in the Bible. The 10 as the number of the 10 commandments and the 12 as the number of the apostles.Therefore, in the Christian faith, the number also stands for sin and profanity.
In addition, the number 12 also serves as a symbol of a new beginning, such as the year, which starts all over again after 12 months.
In addition, the 11 transgresses the norm of the 10 commandments and thus abolishes the everyday order, fitting for the Jecken season.
It is also the smallest schnapps number and the last hour on the clock before the “witching hour”, around which various legends revolve in many religions.
In the 19th century, many city and municipal committees had 10 or 12 members. This is why the organizing committee in the carnival clubs was also called the “Elferrat”, ironically referring to the political form of the German order.
However, this has nothing to do with the date 11.11.
It’s hard to say exactly why we start carnival on 11.11. But it probably had something to do with the Prussians, who in 1823 demanded that carnival should become more organized, so November 11 was set as the starting signal for the carnival season. As there was still a 4-week period of fasting before January 6 – the start of the carnival passion – they decided on November 11.
Since then, 11.11 has also been considered the end of the agricultural year. In addition, the wine had matured long enough by this time and was therefore drinkable. Farmhands and maidservants were on vacation from this date. All good reasons to celebrate.
An event that took place on November 11, almost 100 years later, but also offered a good reason to celebrate, was the signing of the armistice declaration in 1918, which ended the First World War.
