Carnival of Basel
carnival basel german basler fasnacht biggest carnival switzerland main protestant carnival world basler fasnacht take place annually february march basel listed one top fifty local festivity europe since carnival basel included unesco intangible cultural heritage basler fasnacht start monday ash wednesday precisely socalled morgestraich see carnival last exactly hour therefore end thursday morning time fasnächtler participant dominate old town central basel running free street restaurant basler fasnacht often referred die drey scheenschte dääg three beautiful day unlike carnival celebration held city rhine cologne mainz düsseldorf basel carnival feature clear wellmaintained separation participant spectator line street addition since th century basler fasnacht event provided satirical commentary current local global event approximately active fasnächtler dress wide variety costume including mask known larve participant fully concealed must remain incognito parading considered inappropriate breach protocol identify oneself removing mask official break parade member various clique wear costume fit specific theme except morgestreich fasnacht tuesday costume mask commonly represent famous people including politician even comic character animal traditional mask recall napoleonic soldier harlequin harlekin famous waggis buffoon portraying exaggerated caricature alsatian peasant figure alti dante old dame upperclass elderly woman parade taking place monday wednesday afternoon called cortège follow two defined ring route inner ring run clockwise outer ring run counterclockwise two route sometimes referred blue red route colour representation route map fasnächtler participate parade generally toss confetti crowd hand candy treat spectator group choose sujet french theme fasnacht sujets usually related recent event highly satirical sujets seen lantern morgenstreich costume worn clique member cortège clique also distribute zeedel flyer containing ironic verse basel german dialect confetti called räppli according local historian throwing confetti typical tradition basel later spread rest world proof theory amount confetti used basler fasnacht huge comparison carnival originally sweet form small sugar ball known confetti italian name similar english confectionery given away thrown crowd parade practice prohibited th century small shard paper used replacement banned second half th century also common use straw instead confetti although wheat chaff still sometimes thrown outlying town region singlecoloured räppli confetti purchased basel räppli available possible colour never mixed decided regional confetti manufacturer prevent oncecommon practice reselling used confetti throwing mixed confetti seen bad form since one would picked street obviously unhygienic practice spectator everpresent danger attacked behind confettithrowing waggis especially wearing carnival badge see known blaggedde sound similar plaquette french english listener unwritten law masked andor costumed participant subject confetti attack evening route cortège ankledeep confetti even basel sanitation department succeeds clearing away mess within two hour night following morning little evidence previous day event basel carnival five major group participant one oldest formation clique march old town playing piccolo basler drum clique usually consists vortrab vanguard pfeifer piper tambourmajor drum major tambouren drummer except cortège clique follow fixed route thus common different clique cross path case one clique stop let clique pas spectator hand politely guided route vortrab marching brass band playing guggenmusik another formation present carnival although guggemusik group participate morgestreich march play throughout fasnacht starting cortège monday showcased tuesday night perform guggekoncerts various location schnitzelbank singer bard sings satirical verse current event basel around world verse sung swiss german singer show helge illustration current verse similar verse also distributed various clique flyer known zeedel singer appear regularly restaurant bar monday wednesday night cliquecellars local clique meeting hall tuesday cortège many truck tractor decorated trailer large trailer waage usually waggis throwing orange sweet flower treat crowd waggis also shower bystander copious amount confetti waggis affectionate spoof alsatian farmer distant past regularly rolled basel market sell produce truck display kasernenareal monday night wednesday morning similar waage smaller carriage chaise schäse – people giving away treat people carriage generally less rude waggis dressed old lady referred alti tante meaning old aunt giving nearroyal feeling many nonclique individual small group known schyssdräggziigli also wander street like clique play music piccolo drum morgestraich basel dialect morgenstreich high german monday morning mark beginning carnival basel exactly light old town basel turned industrielle werke basel industrial work basel public utility organisation city shuts streetlight light remaining come lantern clique two major type lantern large zugslaterne parade lantern wheelmounted carried people front clique headmounted kopflaterne head lantern every participant wear clique uniform kopflaternen traditionally morgestraich clique member wear uniform costume varied dressing called charivari command morgestraich vorwärts marsch morgestraich forward march drum major clique begin march play march morgestraich instrument guggenmusik played morgestraich monday many restaurant bar old town open door remain open following hour possible sample traditional basler carnival specialty flour soup zwiebelkuchen käsewähe quichelike baked dish tuesday evening area around marktplatz barfüsserplatz claraplatz devoted guggekonzerts guggemusik group take turn play purposebuilt stage large crowd main guggekonzert marktplatz draw thousand spectator broadcast live telebasel local tv channel traditional clique march playing piccolo basler snare drum retreat side street guggemusik group march city centre stop play four five song move guggemusik group also invited play cafés restaurant serenade guest child family fasnacht tuesday day many parade city time clique take part rather family child people come different clique common see group mixed costume mask expected child especially youngest wear heavy traditional mask lantern display monday evening wednesday morning münsterplatz square front basel münster lit evening lantern exhibition referred largest openair art exhibition world number event occur fasnacht complete list rather overview larger significant event fasnacht start various event vorfasnachtsveranstaltungen take place used experiment fasnacht topic fasnachtsmusicals concert traditional fasnacht instrument crossover classic instrument event also feature schnitzelbanks satiric element socalled vorfasnachtsveranstaltungen mimösli häbsetheater offizielles preistrommeln und pfeifen official contest drummer flutist pfyfferli theater fauteuil charivari volkshaus räppliserenade rheinpark cancelled since stubete restaurant atlantis kindercharivari theater basel monstretrommelkonzert aka drummeli formerly messe basel musical theater basel fasnachtsbändeli child family theater arlecchino ridicule helmut förnbacher theater company badischer bahnhof zofingerconzärtli congress center basel oldest prefasnacht event organized student society zofingia basel since year lantern piping ladärne yynepfyffe take place sunday evening fasnacht lantern still wrapped delivery respective workshop brought parade begin city centre arrival accompanied piper still without costume mask drummer leave drum home lantern farewell ladärne verabschiide performed clique final evening fasnacht normally starting thursday sometimes earlier clique specific ritual farewell involve forming circle lantern chanting particular musical composition popular composition wettsteinmarsch tagwacht retraite basler marsch le lancier chanting lantern gradually extinguished saturday fasnacht many masked ball together known kehrausball kehruss local dialect many clique masked ball cliquecellars one three sunday directly following fasnacht known bummelsonntage stroll sunday clique guggenmusik group participate final act fasnacht chosen day st nd rd bummelsonntag depending group group go small trip somewhere outside basel usually including visit restaurant later evening group return basel normal street clothes costume mask parade one last time inner city particularly along major street city freie strasse since organisation fasnacht arranged fasnachtscomité act official contact question concern fasnacht comité also distributes fasnacht badge blaggedde sold four version cost swiss franc proceeds go fasnacht group requested though required visitor purchase badge group continue finance saying go doesnt badge harm fasnacht unit registered fasnachtscomité clique organisation group float coach gugge music group pipe drum group individual mask small group total fasnächtler took part organised group addition approximately wild fasnächtler schyssdräggzygli total parade lantern carried pushed mobile frame similar many carnival tradition basel carnival root celtic germanic custom specifically practice related ancestor veneration expulsion winter fertility ritual specific history basler fasnacht remains unknown document related carnival destroyed catastrophic earthquake earliest surviving document relating basel carnival trace back year reformation period celebration restricted time even banned response basel carnival gradually transformed form resistance authoritative repression additionally parade theme shifted towards political topic adopting distinctively satirical nature remains unclear carnival start one week later basel elsewhere switzerland germany common explanation reformation basel continued celebrating fasnacht region officially stopped said order differ catholic custom fasnacht scheduled one week later starting document era supporting theory resolution quoted year later historian note catholic carnival date rescheduled six day earlier council benevent sunday excluded day fasting period easter making ash wednesday first day lent th century two carnival date existed first one ending ash wednesday known herr pfaffenfasnacht lord priest carnival observed member higher echelon society second one week later old time known bauernfasnacht farmer carnival afterwards second carnival celebrated basel today carnival basel said protestant carnival world unesco added carnival basel list intangible cultural heritage industrielle werke basel iwb turned streetlight early nonetheless fasnacht went thursday therefore fasnacht lasted one minute longer usual night morgestraich cm snow fell within couple hour blocked inner city basel took great effort free city snow enable fasnacht take place never fasnacht celebrated snow especially freshfallen snow cm snow thirdhighest snow level ever recorded basel highest level freshfallen snow within hour city carnival cancelled due covid pandemic carnival took place limited form swabian–alemannic fastnacht official organisational unit page german basel fasnacht life basel english basler fasnacht online partly english fasnachtscomité dossier die basler fasnacht altbaselch page german private picture gallery morgenstraich monday cortège webcam fasnacht