Have German Will Travel
Ed Heinlein: German Consultant

Tipp (tip) - Wear a costume and mask, or you may not get into many events!

• Was ist der Münchner Fasching? (What is the Carnival in Munich?)
  • Carnival season is the season of merrymaking immediately preceding Lent, which in the Christian religion, is an annual season of fasting and penitence beginning on Ash Wednesday and lasting 40 weekdays till Easter.
  • It is also known as „die fünfte Jahreszeit" (fifth season, some Bavarians say sixth season because of Oktoberfest)
  • Fasching oder Karneval: Why are there different Namen (names)?
  • Beschreibung des Faschings (description)
  • Ursprung und Geschichte (origin and history of Fasching)
• Wortschatz zur Fasching (vocabulary for the carnival season in Munich)
• Wo feiert man Fasching? (Where is carnival season celebrated?)
  • Städte: (cities in Germany and names:)
    1. München, Würzburg, und Bayern (Munich and Bavaria)-----Fasching
    2. Berlin-----Fasching
  • Gebiete: (regions in Germany and names:)
    1. Franken in Bayern (Franconian region of northern Bavaria)-----Fosnat
    2. Brandenburg und Sachsen (Saxony)-----Fasching
  • Städte und Gebiete in Österreich: (cities and regions in Austria and names:)
    1. Wien (Vienna)----Fasching
    2. Salzburg-----Fasching
    3. Zentral- und Ostösterreich: (central und eastern Austria)-----Fasching
• Wie feiert man Fasching? (How is Carnival celebrated?)
  • frühere Bräuche (customs of the past)
    1. religious celebration of Lent (Catholic vs. Protestant)
    2. performance of Fastnachtsspiele (Lenten plays) during pre-Lenten season
    3. driving away of the dark and threatening forces of winter by noise and masks
    4. ancient Roman rites of cleansing before the coming of spring
  • heutige Bräuche (customs of today)
    1. Veranstaltungen und Festlichkeiten (events and festivities)
       • Sitzungen (meetings or sessions)
       • Faschingsbälle (Carnival balls)
       • Züge und Umzüge (parades and processions)
       • Straßenfasching (street carnival)
       • Kinderfasching (children’s carnival)
       • Tanz der Marktfrauen, Tanz der Marktweiber (Dance of the Market Women)
       • Schäfflertanz (Coopers Dance, performed every 7 years - 2012, 2019...)
       • Privatpartys, Clubs, Bars, und Partys (private parties and parties)
       • Geldbeutelwaschen (wallet emptying, cleaning, blessing tradition)
    2. Bräuche und Sitten (customs and traditions)
       • Gesellschaften (societies)
       • Faschingsprinzenpaar (Fasching prince and princess)
       • Kostüme und Masken (costumes and masks)
       • Narren und Närrinnen, narrisch (male and female fools or jesters)
       • Grüße (greetings, cries, shouts)
       • Schunkeln und Tanzen (swaying arm-in-arm and dancing)
       • Speisen und Getränke (food and beverages)
       • Starkbierzeit (strong beer season)
       • Singen und Faschingslieder (Carnival songs)
• Wann feiert man Fasching? (When is carnival season celebrated?)
  • Fasching beginnt um 11.11 Uhr am 11. November des Vorjahres. (Carnival begins at 11 minutes after 11 o'clock on November 11 of the previous year.)
  • Es gibt 11 tolle Ereignisse während der Faschingzeit. (There are 11 crazy events during the carnival season.)
  • Fasching wird am 6. Januar auch mit Dreiköngisfest gefeiert. (Carnival is also celebrated on Three Kings Day.)
  • Fasching wird die Woche vor Aschermittwoch in vollem Gange gefeiert. (Carnival is celebrated in full swing the week before Ash Wednesday.)