In the Catholic south of the country, in the Dutch provinces of Bramant and Limburg, a traditional carnival is held in winter. It takes place between St. Epiphanius Day (January 6) and «fat Tuesday» — Mardi Gras. The carnival usually begins in February or early March, 40 days before Easter, usually on Sunday.
The days of the carnival precede Lent. The tradition of the carnival is very old, and it is associated with a simple idea: before Lent, you need to eat to your heart's content, get drunk and have fun. Apparently, it is easier to endure a long fast if it begins with positive emotions.
Carnival — is a time of carefree and unbridled fun, a time of noisy parades of citizens dressed in carnival costumes, giant dolls, bizarre structures on wheels, people having fun on the streets and in cafes and restaurants, unusual calls and songs in local dialects.
The brightest and noisiest carnival processions take place in Maastricht, the capital of Limburg. It is believed that this is the brightest and noisiest carnival in the Netherlands, and it is there that they know how to have fun for real, without «black» madness, since a huge policeman doll guards the carnival riot.
The carnival in the capital of Brabant, Den Bos, is not inferior to it in terms of splendor. This city is even often called the main carnival city of the Netherlands. There are more than 150 carnival societies in Den Bos, which has long been renamed Uteldonk during the carnival (according to tradition, all communes in the Netherlands change names these days), and 200 thousand people participate in this celebration annually.
The Amsterdam Carnival is also held at the same time. The holiday is accompanied by performances, costume shows, songs, dances and folk festivals.
Carnivals are also held in other cities. It has its own specifics in each, and residents of each city, of course, consider their carnival the most fun, kind and unusual. Everywhere during the procession and the performances accompanying the carnival, attention is drawn through satire and humor to the problems existing in the cities.
Order is maintained in all cities, and the fun is never overshadowed by hooligan antics. In northeastern Brabant, for example, in the city of Venlo on the border with Germany, it has long been customary to celebrate «peasant weddings» before and during the carnival of «Ponaroshku». Brides and grooms ride in carriages, hay carts or other carriages during carnival processions and greet people gathered on the street. The city of Bergen–op–Z, which is sometimes called the Dutch «capital of Maslenitsa», during the carnival days receives a new name — Krabbenhat (The crab hole — in the Dutch view is a terrible province on the North Sea shelf, where there used to be many crabs). An obligatory detail of the costume of any carnival participant is an old curtain or, at worst, a red scarf. Some Bergen residents sew themselves a whole outfit from old curtains. For several days, the city's fun and music continue unabated, with dozens of orchestras from across the country competing to be the best to be awarded a 40-litre barrel of beer.
In all cities during the carnival, the city is actually ruled not by the burgomaster, but by the princess and prince of the carnival, to whom the mayor publicly transfers the symbolic keys to the city. These days there is no other power, state or public, but everything is subject to the unspoken law of the noisy and cheerful Carnival.
The carnival procession takes place to the sounds of music and the roar of drums. During the carnival procession, numerous intricately decorated and decorated cars, carriages, platforms, carts, tables and all kinds of other objects placed on wheels move through the city streets. Nearby are mummers depicting jesters, heroes of fairy tales and legends, film series, anecdotes, as well as, always with humor, famous people of the city, politicians and simply unknown creatures. They carry multi-colored flags and pennants. The procession will certainly involve huge dolls made especially for the carnival in medieval and other outfits. Carnivalists dress up in the most unimaginable costumes, and such a masquerade — is an integral attribute of the holiday. Carnival masks and costumes should scare away evil spirits for a whole year.
The apogee of the holiday is a — puppet (with figures of fairy-tale characters up to 10 meters high) procession along the central street of the city. Each doll shows its number to the accompaniment of its team. Carnival clubs have been working on their preparation since the summer. Goal — win the competition. Today, such figures — are the most complex technical devices with computer control, which last only one day. Once again, only the winning doll can appear in front of the public.
Carnival — is not only a festive procession, but also performances by artists, theatrical performances, folk festivals on the streets, fun in cafes and restaurants, where a large number of local beers and other drinks are traditionally consumed. These days, bars are overcrowded and shops are closed.
Traditionally, carnival fun for the Dutch ends at midnight on the last day of the carnival by eating herring dishes. But each city has its own traditions.