Lets dress up: Fasching in München

First of all there is no "Karneval" in Bavaria....its called "Fasching" :-) For the rest its the same: everyone dresses up and the city becomes extremely colourful and loud! Plenty of funny, interesting or weird creatures may be seen, met or photographed around! The people are celebrating the time before the fasting.

The celebrations take place over a week starting on "Weiberfastnacht" (= the Thursday before the Fasching week) and ending on "Aschermittwoch"(=Ash Wendesday). I could enjoy a concert on the Münchener Marienplatz last Sunday and a very happy ambiance, as one may spot on the pictures..

P.S. "Karneval" is the word use for carnival in Germany, north the line Bonn-Erfurt (as for example in the city of Cologne);

Carnival (Traunsteiner Faschingszug) in Garmisch

Every Sunday before Mardi Gras/ Shrove Tuesday the so called "Traunsteiner Faschingszug" (a carnival parade) takes place in Garmisch, Bayern. The creativity and fantasy of the dressed up inhabitants is really impressive...

One can meet from Pirates of the Caribbean to weird creatures of the Middle Age up to some jumping pigs (dont miss the video, at the end of this entry:)

"Fasching" is the word used for carnival in parts of East and South Germany and Austria. The etymologists are not sure about the origin of the name "carnival". Most explanations are derived from the Italian and Latin expressions "carne levare" or "carne vale", indicating the last days when one could eat meat before the fasting. While the starting day of Carnival varies, the festival usually builds up in the week before lent, ending on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. In (Eastern Orthodox) areas Carnival ends on the Sunday seven weeks before Easter.