Carnival in Basel – Fasnacht (07/03)

The Basel Carnival or Fasnacht – is a traditional colorful carnival that takes place annually in February or March in Basel (Switzerland). It begins on the first Monday after Ash Wednesday (the date of the beginning of Catholic Lent), lasts three days and is the largest holiday of its kind in all of Switzerland, attracting thousands of participants and spectators every year.

The Basel Carnival has a long tradition, being an integral part of the culture of the region and its inhabitants. Once a year, the ancient Swiss city breaks its measured rhythm and opens the door to a large, cheerful carnival, when the streets and squares are filled with mummers in original costumes and masks, and all events are accompanied by the music of more than 100 orchestras.

Basel Fasnacht – is a long-lived carnival, it dates back to the 16th century. At the beginning, the main entertainment of this carnival, dedicated to the beginning of Lent, was knightly tournaments and a costume procession organized by city guilds and artisans. The modern traditions of the carnival were formed not so long ago; it lost its religious content and acquired the status of an independent holiday. Moreover, the Carnival in Basel – is a unique event that surprisingly combines farcical fun with very strict rules.

Baselians take the carnival responsibly, and therefore preparations for it begin several weeks in advance: they sew costumes, prepare masks, and rehearse performances. By the way, only members of the so-called «click» (Clique) – carnival-musical unions, whose leaders apply in advance to participate in the carnival, are allowed to participate in festive processions. This group consists of several presenters, flutists, drummers and a bandmaster. In total, there are approximately 300 cliques in the city, and in total up to 18 thousand people participate in the carnival. But it’s worth noting right away that only a native basler can become a «clicker».

The entire carnival is also characterized by a very disciplined approach to the celebration. Unlike other similar events, Basel has adopted a strict division of the entire carnival crowd into two categories – participants (mostly local residents) and spectators (usually tourists). Of course, the presence of spectators is welcome, but they must follow the rules of the carnival.

The Basel Carnival lasts exactly 72 hours – from 4.00 Monday to 4.00 Thursday. It traditionally begins in the early morning at the Marktplatz and Barfüsserplatz, when, to the deafening sounds of numerous wind and percussion instruments, the city lighting goes out, and participants in the first procession take to the streets, carrying lanterns of the most bizarre shapes, the production of which they worked all year. This colorful procession in carnival costumes moves through the streets of the Old Town. The abundance of various lanterns creates a magical play of light, and music drives away sleep and creates a festive mood. The procession continues until dawn.

Afterwards, all participants and spectators disperse to numerous pubs, cafes and restaurants to taste traditional carnival food: onion pie with cheese (kisha), soup with toasted flour, mulled wine and cookies with a sugar crust.

At noon, the big carnival parade begins, when «clickers» take to the streets again in costumes with drums, piccolo flutes, and brass bands. Another colorful spectacle of the carnival is the «waggiswaagi» – vans loaded with armfuls of flowers, oranges, sweets, toys from which the Waggi people throw all these contents into the joyful crowd of spectators.

The first day of the carnival ends, again in various taverns, zucchini and restaurants, where you can not only eat and relax well, but also listen to «Schnitzelbank» – a group of performers of satirical poems and songs who demonstrate to listeners their ironic skills, moving from one restaurant or bar to another. The object of satire is usually local politicians and city news.

Tuesday at the carnival – Kinderfasnacht – is a children's day when boys and girls in fancy costumes walk the streets and are entertained by clowns. There are also many family events and concerts, and on Cathedral Square (Münsterplatz) there is an Exhibition of Lanterns that opened the «th carnival the day before.

By evening, the celebration is gaining momentum again when the «Guggenkkonzert» – traditional competition of musicians performing deafening wind music – Guggenmusik begins. This is a kind of music competition, the participants of which compete in a fake game, or rather, to fake it more sophisticatedly during the performance of the melody.

On Wednesday, the final costume parade takes place across the city as Basel says goodbye to «clicks», and they gather near their lanterns for the last time and light them up. The night from Wednesday to Thursday is colored with sadness, the musicians play a farewell march. The Basel Carnival ends early Thursday morning in the same place where it began. The burglar lifts the baton, and the music falls silent, and the lanterns go out at once. The four strokes of the clock announce that Basel's Fasnacht is over…

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