2023 Germany’s 🇩🇪 Carnival - “Fasching” **Check this out, I’ve never seen anything like it**

Celebrated in February, Fasching is a traditional German celebration – also known as Karneval or Fastnacht. It is carnival season, which has been celebrated for centuries by people worldwide who have German heritage.

Fasching can be documented back to pre-Roman times. These times were difficult for the average person, so the carnival season was a chance to be free, enjoy life and have some fun in a world where fun was non existent for many.

Fasching allows a person to have a huge celebration, indulge, enjoy and embrace all that is good before things are out of bounds during Lent.

Germany is the country which holds the largest and most vibrant carnivals to celebrate the Fasching season, with nearly every city having its own celebration.

The masks and costumes of today date back to medieval times when they were not in place as fun decorations, but were worn as ways to avoid punishment and persecution, as carnival goers would mock the strict rulers of the day. Had they not used masks to disguise themselves they would have been caught and death would have been an inevitability.

The use of elaborate carved wooden masks, devils, witches, animals and other “wild characters” (Wilde Leute) is common. One theory says that this a reflection of the pre-Christian roots of the Swabian-Alemannic carnival. In ancient times these figures and masks were part of an effort to drive out evil spirits in the dark of winter. Others say it developed out of early Christian religious practices and the church’s concept of good and evil.
Unlike the practice in other regions, many of the costume wearers (Narrenhästräger) in Fastnacht areas use the same masks and costumes year after year, sometimes even keeping them in the family for generations. Over time, however, with the influences from other carnivals, Fastnacht has taken on a wide assortment of costumes and customs – in addition to the traditional ones.