Fasching

Lent is almost upon us and as we all know that means it is time to get all your partying out. New Orleans has Mardi Gras, Rio has Carnival, and Germany has Fasching.

Fasching is a weeks worth of parades, parties, and festivals located all over Germany. Lucky for us one of the biggest and best celebrations is located in Mainz, just a 30 minute train ride away, so Shea and I went over yesterday to check it out first hand. Of course like any good party, you have to wear a costume. I went as an old lady with blue hair and Shea dressed in a sombrero and poncho. Generally, most people prefer darker color patterns here in their clothing, however, for Fasching the brighter the better. We saw Elvis, Boris Becker, Clowns, Cats, Cowboys, Nurses, Soldiers, Ghosts, Frogs, and many other creative ideas. Bands marched through the streets with a potpourri of characters trailing behind forming makeshift parades that anyone could join. After enjoying the sights and sounds outside for a while, Shea and I decided to step inside a local "kneipe" (bar). It was packed with people standing shoulder to shoulder dancing, singing, and drinking. The bartenders had an assembly line of pilsner beers going and as fast as they could fill them up they were being handed across the bar to the costumed consumers. People stood arm in arm and swayed back and forth to the traditional German songs. It was like being at an ATM football game with all the memorization and synchronized movement taking place.
After several hours, we left there and followed a marching band back towards the train station... dancing and singing our way out of town. We will maybe try to take in a few more events before Tuesday and will let you all know what we find! Otherwise enjoy some of the funny pics were able to take.