For the ten years I called Heidelberg, Germany home, I was lucky to have a bird’s-eye view when Fasching festivities took the university town by storm, as I’m sure they did today.
Fasching, Germany’s equivalent to Mardi Gras or Carnaval, includes pre-Lenten activities celebrated between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday. My former apartment, housed on the fifth floor of an 18th-century building, offered the perfect spot to glimpse the crazy characters and floats as they passed by during the city’s annual Fasching parade.
The parades usually took place on days that I had to work. Alas, when I returned to my Altstadt (old town) neighborhood shortly after the parade had plowed through, I found the streets adorned with confetti, streamers, and wrappers that hinted at the goodies that had been tossed from floats. Some years, unable to resist being part of the fun, I took a vacation day and watched as men dressed in medieval garb twirled flags bearing Heidelberg’s crest, and fluffy blue beings powdered the noses of onlookers (yours truly included), and men sported Pippy Longstocking-esque braids. Here’s to more memories…
Tricia A. Mitchell is a freelance writer and photographer. Born in Europe but raised in the United States, she has lived in Valletta, Malta; Heidelberg, Germany; and Split, Croatia. An avid globetrotter who has visited more than 65 countries, she has a penchant for off-season travel. Tricia has learned that travel’s greatest gift is not sightseeing, rather it is the interactions with people. Some of her most memorable experiences have been sharing a bottle of champagne with distant French cousins in Lorraine, learning how to milk goats in a sleepy Bulgarian village, and ringing in the Vietnamese New Year with a Hanoi family. She welcomes any opportunity to practice French and German, and she loves delving into a place’s history and artisanal food scene.
A former education administrator and training specialist, Tricia has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in international relations. She and her husband, Shawn, married in the ruins of a snowy German castle. They’ve been known to escape winter by basing themselves in coastal Croatia or Southeast Asia.
Her writing has appeared in Fodor’s Travel, Frommer’s, and International Living.
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29 thoughts on “Fasching Festivities, German Style”
I really like the design of your blog, and love the header. Is this a new look? It’s very appealing…love it!
Hi Elisa, having devoted a bit of time tinkering with the design, your compliment means a lot. I guess you could call the re-design a premature spring cleaning of sorts, a desire to streamline things a bit, and fun with Photoshop. :)
Fasching was always fun! This year, we celebrated Carnival in Croatia in a town decidedly smaller than Heidelberg, Germany, but nonetheless still with character.
I never made it to the Black Forest during Fasching season, Andrew, but Cologne certainly offered a lot of fun madness. Where did you visit in the Black Forest? I used to live not far from there…
We stayed one time in Baden-Baden and then twice in a nice hotel that I found in Rammersweier near Offenburg and we travelled as far south as Freiburg and as far north as Speyer.
Many are familiar places to me, Andrew. In fact, my husband and I keep meaning to get back to Baden Baden, as we have a wedding gift certificate that we have yet to use there. I was only there once, but loved strolling the gardens. Such an elegant city!
Love your post, Tricia, similar parades take place in Munich, lots of fun @ Fasching time.Wish you well @ your new destination. Cornelia
Thank you, Cornelia, or as they say here in Croatia, ‘hvala.’ :) When we do get back to Germany this summer, I look forward to exploring some of the places you’ve recommended – especially Mittenwald.
Tricia, most probably I will be in germany too in the summer and of course spending some time in Garmisch to see my 101 years old aunt and my cousins. It will be some time in June, well maybe we cant meet somewhere around there. That would be fun.
Cornelia, I would really enjoy that! :) Please keep me posted of your travel plans.
Oh I will keep you posted on my travel plans to germany.
Heard so much about it, never been to one. Normally only the kids celebrated it at school. Now that they are no longer in German school, it sort of passed by unnoticed in our family. Thanks for sharing it…
Especially one with scrumptious morsels tossed from floats. One of my favorite floats was shaped like a bread basket, and you guessed it – they threw spectators fresh bread rolls. Delicious.
Wow this would be a sight to see! Here in PA, there is still a Fasnacht tradition, though the only evidence I’ve seen of it has been an overabundance of sugary donuts! I think it would be more fun if we had parades :)
According to Wikipedia, the fasnacht donut was meant to empty the pantry of lard, sugar, fat, and butter before Lent begins, but somehow I doubt anyone around here actually follows that part of the tradition!
Also, while you are a well established blogger and probably don’t need the awards, I wanted to let you know I nominated you for the Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award to share your excellent blog with others. In fact, the person who nominated me has an alliterative blog name, so yours was the first blog I thought to nominate! http://wanderoneday.com/2013/02/14/sisterhood-of-the-world-bloggers-award/
Jen, I enjoyed reading the details you shared about PA’s Fasnacht tradition. In Bavaria, where we were staying these past months, we had a lot of Krapfen sightings at the bakeries and grocery stores. Those sugary donuts looked so tasty, alas I only eat gluten-free goodies so I had to abstain. I suspect the PA tradition has the same origins?
Finally, I’m very flattered by your very kind nomination and recognition, Jen! I shall look forward to connecting with the other nominees. :)
Travels With Tricia 
I really like the design of your blog, and love the header. Is this a new look? It’s very appealing…love it!
Fasching looks like a great time. Wonderful pics!
Hi Elisa, having devoted a bit of time tinkering with the design, your compliment means a lot. I guess you could call the re-design a premature spring cleaning of sorts, a desire to streamline things a bit, and fun with Photoshop. :)
Fasching was always fun! This year, we celebrated Carnival in Croatia in a town decidedly smaller than Heidelberg, Germany, but nonetheless still with character.
Thanks as always for dropping by.
Hillarious and colourful costumes! Love it. I can see why you would take a day off – looks like a lot of fun.
It is – also a bit reminiscent of Germany during autumnal wine & beer fest season.
Who wouldn’t love a parade like this Tricia~!! I especially love the stripped hosery. V.
Me too, Virginia. The Germans certainly have fun with their array of colorful and patterned ‘Strumpfhosen.’ :)
Great! I saw this in the Black Forest two years ago and loved it!
I never made it to the Black Forest during Fasching season, Andrew, but Cologne certainly offered a lot of fun madness. Where did you visit in the Black Forest? I used to live not far from there…
We stayed one time in Baden-Baden and then twice in a nice hotel that I found in Rammersweier near Offenburg and we travelled as far south as Freiburg and as far north as Speyer.
Many are familiar places to me, Andrew. In fact, my husband and I keep meaning to get back to Baden Baden, as we have a wedding gift certificate that we have yet to use there. I was only there once, but loved strolling the gardens. Such an elegant city!
Love your post, Tricia, similar parades take place in Munich, lots of fun @ Fasching time.Wish you well @ your new destination. Cornelia
Thank you, Cornelia, or as they say here in Croatia, ‘hvala.’ :) When we do get back to Germany this summer, I look forward to exploring some of the places you’ve recommended – especially Mittenwald.
Tricia, most probably I will be in germany too in the summer and of course spending some time in Garmisch to see my 101 years old aunt and my cousins. It will be some time in June, well maybe we cant meet somewhere around there. That would be fun.
Cornelia, I would really enjoy that! :) Please keep me posted of your travel plans.
Oh I will keep you posted on my travel plans to germany.
Heard so much about it, never been to one. Normally only the kids celebrated it at school. Now that they are no longer in German school, it sort of passed by unnoticed in our family. Thanks for sharing it…
Yasmine, hope this post gave you the slight feeling of having been to one now. :) Are your children still at an international school?
Great post Tricia, nothing like a good parade.
Especially one with scrumptious morsels tossed from floats. One of my favorite floats was shaped like a bread basket, and you guessed it – they threw spectators fresh bread rolls. Delicious.
This must have been fun! :)
Indeed! It was a fun tradition that I miss from not living there now. It’s nice to have the images and the memories.
Wow this would be a sight to see! Here in PA, there is still a Fasnacht tradition, though the only evidence I’ve seen of it has been an overabundance of sugary donuts! I think it would be more fun if we had parades :)
According to Wikipedia, the fasnacht donut was meant to empty the pantry of lard, sugar, fat, and butter before Lent begins, but somehow I doubt anyone around here actually follows that part of the tradition!
Also, while you are a well established blogger and probably don’t need the awards, I wanted to let you know I nominated you for the Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award to share your excellent blog with others. In fact, the person who nominated me has an alliterative blog name, so yours was the first blog I thought to nominate!
http://wanderoneday.com/2013/02/14/sisterhood-of-the-world-bloggers-award/
Jen, I enjoyed reading the details you shared about PA’s Fasnacht tradition. In Bavaria, where we were staying these past months, we had a lot of Krapfen sightings at the bakeries and grocery stores. Those sugary donuts looked so tasty, alas I only eat gluten-free goodies so I had to abstain. I suspect the PA tradition has the same origins?
Finally, I’m very flattered by your very kind nomination and recognition, Jen! I shall look forward to connecting with the other nominees. :)
Love the costumes… looks the whole town gets into the spirit :)
…Crazy! Heidelberg’s a university town, so there’s a lot of young energy there, but revelers of all ages seem to hit the streets.
Looks like so much fun!!
Imagine how crazy things get after the parade! :)
What fun! I too like the new look by the way. Cool design.
Thanks for noticing, Rachael. I’m still tinkering around with it, and learning so much as a result (first foray into CS6)!