Karneval in Cologne – ExpatDiaries

I really hope that I encourage you to get out and do something you have always been wanting to do, whether it is organizing your craft room, going out of your comfort zone to try something new at a restaurant, or meeting a new culture. I feel many people agree that you appreciate what you have more once you go out of your comfort zone and try new things. And who knows? You may even find something new you like.

Pushing myself out of my comfort zone is something I have become addicted to, in terms of traveling. I find that I am getting to know myself better. I appreciate what I have come to know and understand from experiencing new things. I encourage you to push yourself to try new things too, because life is too short to keep wondering what could be!

In support of this perspective, I am sharing with you an event I have always wanted to go to but never had the courage to do so.

Last weekend was the Karneval celebration in Cologne, and in many other cities in Germany. There is a parade on Rosenmontag (the Monday before Ash Wednesday in February). Karneval is the German equivalent of Mardi Gras, except it is a whole weekend celebration. It includes a parade, people dress up in all kinds of crazy costumes, there is lots of drinking and celebrating.

I had never been to Karneval, because last year, I didn’t really know about it. I heard there was a parade in our neighborhood, but I thought it was more for kids. Adults seem to flock to Köln or bigger cities to party, where the wildness is lost in the crowd. I am not much of a party person, so I did not know if this would be for me.

I chatted with some locals about my feelings, and they encouraged me to go to Karneval in Cologne. They felt that it was a once in a lifetime experience, and everyone should experience it at least once.

So while we were back in January for our most recent trip to the U.S., Lucas and I were trying on foam cheesehead hats- the motto of Wisconsin. We decided we should go to Karneval and dress up as Cheeseheads from Wisconsin. We couldn’t get much more authentic than that! We bought our costumes at Goodwill- Green Bay Packers jerseys and pajama pants.

On the day of the parade, most of the people in Germany still have to work, but in Cologne, because the celebration is so big, and the packed trains cause delays for the locals to get to work, it is usually a holiday for the workers.

On the day of the parade, Lucas and I got our inner Cheesehead on, and hopped on a bus to catch a train to go to Cologne. I expected the trains to be crowded, but I did not give it much thought. They were packed! We barely had standing room. There were lots of younger 16-30 year-olds, and some middle-aged folks. They were dressed as Waldo from Where’s Waldo?, NASA workers, beer, Kinder chocolates, stars and moons, animals, and I was also surprised to see people dressed up as football players, complete with the padding!

Groups of people tended to crack open a beer while on the train, to make the ride more fun. Some people also played music with portable speakers. It was fun seeing the people in a party mood- not in their serious work-week mode.

It took us a while to get to the parade route, because the train station was packed. It was also rainy, thank goodness we had umbrellas! We grabbed a bratwurst at a bratwurst stand and waited under an overhang until the rain stopped. Then we went out by the cathedral to watch the parade. It was very cold and the parade was delayed because of the rain, so we stood outside and froze while we were waiting for it to continue. After about 2 hours, the parade finally made its way to us.

A lot of people in the crowd brought bags for candy, but I was used to the parades in the U.S., and did not think there would be much to collect. Boy, was I wrong! Every float had something to hand out- flowers, fruit gummies, chocolate (the good German kind), rubber duckies, flags, and other goodies.

We stood on the upper balcony, which was not the best place to catch the candy! A lot of the floats had two stories to them, so most of them tried at least to throw some candy to us. Unfortunately, the power behind their tosses was not the best, and most of the candy would fall on the people below the balcony (this is where to stand if you want the treats).

We took some photos of the parade, which is themed each year. This year, the theme was: “The heart beats in the city center. ” Which after some rough translation, means that this tradition is special to this area, and although locals worry that the next generation changes Karneval, it still remains an important tradition. The things the newer generations have brought to the festival are now a traditional part of the festival, like drinking. Karneval is special here, no matter what goes on in the world.

The floats had more to do with current issues and politics, in addition to advertisements for local groups and organizations. There were quite a few horses, dancers, and tractor-drawn floats. One of the more unique floats we saw was a group of younger people advocating against the use of cars. They dressed up in all black and made up a car out of people- one had a steering wheel, they all had head rests sticking out of the collars of their shirts, some carried rims of tires, and one had a license plate on her back. They would make unusual formations and all seemed to be having a good time.

A few people commented on our costumes being cheeseheads- but I don’t think many of them got the reference to Wisconsin. There was a man who asked us if we were Packers fans or if we just wore the outfits for the day, so he seemed to get the bigger idea behind our costumes. I did not completely understand him at first, so I missed my opportunity to tell him about our costumes and where we were from. Oh well. At the end of the day, I had some candy, some good photos, and good memories of a fun parade in Germany. I am glad I pushed myself to get out of the house and out of my comfort zone and go to Karneval in Cologne, the Karneval capital of the Germany!

Things to do if you go to Karneval in Cologne:

Dress up!
Get there early to beat the rush on the train and get a prime parade spot
Bring a bag to catch candy
Dress for the weather and bring an umbrella, just in case!
Stand under the balcony by the cathedral, if you want the most treats

“STUFF YOUR EYES WITH WONDER,’ HE SAID, ‘LIVE AS IF YOU’D DROP DEAD IN TEN SECONDS. SEE THE WORLD. IT’S MORE FANTASTIC THAN ANY DREAM MADE OR PAID FOR IN FACTORIES.” – RAY BRADBURY

Website on the meaning of the Kölner “Et Hätz schleiht em Veedel” (The Heart Beats in the City Center) in German: https://koelschgaenger.net/2019/11/16/das-herz-schlaegt-im-viertel/