Cologne Carnival

The Carnival Season is a holiday period during the two weeks before the traditional Christian fasting of Lent. The origin of the word carnival is Italian carne- or carnovale, from Latin carnem (meat) + levare (lighten or raise), literally   -  to remove the meat  -   or   -  stop eating meat  -  . According to another theory it is said that the word comes from the Latin carrus navalis, which was a Greek cart carrying a statue of a god in a religious procession at the annual festivities in honor of the god Apollo. Most commonly the season began on Septuagesima, the third from the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday, but in some places it started as early as Twelfth Night, continuing until Lent. And now we are going to tell about the Cologne Carnival.

  -   Cologne Carnival:
Since time immemorial Carnival has been celebrated in the City of Cologne. After taking over from the French Revolutionary troops, the Prussians thought that it was high time to   -  organize  -   the street carnival, in 1814. Thus, the   -  Festordnendes Komitee  -   was founded in 1823 & on February 10, 1823 Cologne celebrated the first Rose Monday (  -  Rosenmontag  -  ) with the motto   -  Inthronisation of the Carnival Hero  -  .

The Festive Committee represents well over 100 Cologne carnival associations, traditional corps, etc., to preserve the hallmark of the traditional Cologne Carnival.

  -   Carnival Sunday and Rose Monday:
On   -  Rosenmontag  -   (Rose Monday), the procession with the three chief Carnival figures, Prince, Peasant and Maide begins. Millions of people in colorful dress, along with huge figures parodying topical events, about 130 bands, hundreds of horses, are seen passing through the streets. Carnival Sunday, the day before Rose Monday, is the seventh Sunday before Easter. On both Carnival Sunday and Rose Monday, traffic is stopped in most areas of the city. The Tourist Office makes a route well in advance.

  -   The schedule of the upcoming Cologne Carnival:

  -   Women's Carnival Day, Thursday, 15 February 2007
  -   Official opening of the street carnival at 11:11 hrs at the Alter Markt in the heart of the old town of Cologne.
  -   Carnival Saturday, 17 February 2007
  -   Traditional   -  Funkenbiwak  -  , the gathering of the colourful Corps troops at the Neumarkt.
  -   Carnival Sunday, 18 February 2007
  -   School group parade through the city centre starting at 11:00 hrs.
  -   Rose Monday, 19 February 2007
  -   The climax of street carnival, with the official parade starting before 11:00 hrs, organised by the
  -   Festive Committee of the Cologne Carnival.
  -   Carnival Tuesday, 20 February 2007
  -   Ash Wednesday, 21 February 2007

If you want to take part in this festive spirit, you just go & be present for the three Mad Days at least. Plenty of celebrations are waiting for you!