Carnival of Mainz

The Mainzer Fastnacht ( carnival of Mainz ) is an appointment impossible to circumvent in the calendar of the festivals of the town of Mainz and counts among most exuberant of the Rhineland.

Unfolding

Called the fifth season , the carnival, synonymous with cheerfulness, the city under the sign of the madness puts. Helau! is the cry of ralliment of all the " fous".

Each year, the 11.11 to 11 a.m. 11, the countryside begins with the reading from the 11 laws from the carnival by the Mayor since the large balcony from the Palais Ostein. The true fifth season begins with Mainz the day from the New year with a large procession. The countryside of the carnival lasts 3 months, every weekend and culminates with the festivities of street of the four days fatty preceding the Ash Wednesday, which marks the end of the season. In addition to its madness, the carnival mayençais present political and literary elements through the meetings at the beginning of the season, with the Château of the Prince-Voters, Rheingoldhalle, or in other rooms of the city. In general, even during the humorous speeches of the carnival, one makes fun without exceeding the propriety: one is tolerating while remaining committed.

History

The habit of the carnival refers to the Christian calendar: the night of the Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lent.

Stammerings

The tradition of the carnival mayençais does not have a precise historical origin. Already at the 16th century, it is question of processions the insane ones. The carnival of Mainz today was born from the meeting of the carnavalesques cultures of Mainz and Cologne, thanks to important commercial exchanges at the beginning of the 19th century. After the formation of the German Confederation, the liberal ideas (revolutionary) marked the spirits. They remain very present, in spite of their negation by the powers reactionaries.

Carnival of room

The tradition of

Carnival of street

Saturday with the fatty Tuesday, people invest the streets there to have fun the festival and to attend the processions. The participants (German and mayençais: Narren ) is challenged by the cry of recognition Helau and takes again the songs of carnival, often mayençais some. The life of Mainz proceeds today still on the Schiller place and Ludwigsstraße and the place of the market, in front of the doors of the cathedral.

Principal events

Saturday : ravelled masked young people, who curves traditionally through the streets of the city. The topics of the disguises relate to the city, the school, the daily newspaper of the children and the young people. The processions of district are the point of meeting of the guards, the recruits and the insane ones. After the procession, a oath-taking of the recruits is a big step of the dressed up balls.
Sunday : procession of the Finthen districts and Bretzenheim
Monday of the Pinks : official procession ( Rosenmontagszug ), which drains nearly 500.000 people in the streets. The people on the carriages distribute gifts to crowd, especially candies. The companies of carnival prepare the major event of the season during all the year.
fatty Tuesday : procession with the district Mainz-Mombach, and corso conveys some in the city.

Music of carnival

The independent groups of music of carnival are coloured brass bands.

The topics most approached are the love, the wine, the attachment in Mainz, solidarity in the districts of the city, the tolerance with respect to the minorities and from abroad: Mainz, it should be lived , and the cathedral frétiller are the best currencies.

See too

Internal bonds

Mainz

External bonds

Information by the site of the Mainz city on the carnival

----

Random links: