As Deutsche Welle notes, residents of Cologne and its environs eagerly await the arrival of the "fifth season": they prepare, sew costumes, rehearse, take horseback riding lessons. On the culmination day of the street carnival, the cry "D'r Zoch kütt!" shouted in the local dialect, moves through the city at the speed of a jester's procession, signaling its imminent approach. More than a million spectators gather to watch it.
The main event takes place on the so-called "Rosenmontag" (Rose Monday) – the Monday before the start of Lent. This season it falls on February 8. In the Rhineland, it is an official holiday, but many get up much earlier than on workdays. Many hours before the procession begins, its participants, in full regalia, gather on the streets of the Southern City (Südstadt) that are closed off for the occasion.
The street carnival begins on the so-called "Women's Thursday" (Wieverfastelovend). This year it is on February 12. "Rebellious" women storm the town hall and take power into their own hands. Armed with scissors, they cut men's ties and go in for kisses, shouting: "Bützchen!" Ahead are five days of non-stop festivities until the night of Ash Wednesday (February 18).
Carnival is its own world with its own laws and order. The procession on Carnival Monday has its own logic, subject to a strict jester hierarchy. It includes traditional carnival corps and mock guards, field kitchens filled with candy and fake pharmacy carts, orchestras and dance groups, luxurious carriages of the carnival elite and honored guests.
Carnival guards originated as a parody of the Prussian army and military drill, when Cologne lost its freedom in the 19th century and became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. A kind of civil protest. They are distinguished by the color of their uniforms and are named after the city's Cologne soldiers – Funken, who for centuries guarded the gates of this once free imperial city.
The public is especially delighted by a ritual performed by the foot guards. Two soldiers, standing back to back, rub their protruding soft parts. These parts are called by the difficult-to-pronounce word Stippeföttche in the Cologne dialect Kölsch. In the fake rifles, there are mandatory flowers, indicating the peaceful nature of the event.
In traditional carnival guards, a special role is given to the main dance couple, who perform a dazzling program at various sessions during the carnival season. The girls in such pairs are affectionately called "Dancing Mariechen" (Tanzmariechen), and their partners are simply called dancing officers (Tanzoffizier). They could easily compete in any ballroom dancing championship.
An obligatory part of the carnival program on Rosenmontag are floats with satirical papier-mâché compositions. They dish it out to everyone. Among foreign characters, the US and Russian presidents are constant guests. Chancellor Angela Merkel was once even depicted in an Eve costume, but before the procession they equipped her with a miniature swimsuit. This aspect of the carnival requires a separate report.
About 12,000 people take part in the main procession of the carnival season in Cologne, and it stretches for six kilometers. Cologne prides itself on outpacing its main competitor, neighboring Düsseldorf, not to mention Mainz or Bonn. Participants of traditional guards march in ceremonial uniforms, while the spectators stand out in the crowd, each in their own way. Imagination knows no bounds.
"Jede Jeck es anders" – says an old Cologne wisdom in dialect. "Every jester is special" or "Every jester fools around in his own way." That's how you can translate this catchphrase. Jeck – jester, clown, masquerader. A jester costume can be bought ready-made in one of the specialized shops, but the most interesting characters of the holiday clearly made an effort themselves.
Among the traditional carnival characters, we should mention the rag clown (Lappenclown) – a Rhenish interpretation of the Italian Harlequin. This Cologne character demonstrates the connection between the carnival on the Rhine and Venice. The common people in Cologne a couple of centuries ago had no money for expensive jester outfits, so they came up with a quite democratic costume made from scraps of fabric.
"Rosenmontag" is the most intense day of the carnival. Everyone plays their role. The Prince, the Virgin, and the Peasant are the leading figures of the festival, forming the so-called triumvirate (Dreigestirn). In the procession, they walk – or rather, ride – last. His Heartiness (Seine Deftigkeit) the Peasant shares a float with the Virgin. He symbolizes the strength of Cologne – the ability to stand up for oneself. His hat is decorated with 125 peacock feathers.
The role of the Virgin is played by men in Cologne. The tradition was interrupted only during the time of National Socialism. Her Loveliness (Ihre Lieblichkeit) the Cologne Virgin symbolizes the maternal principle, and the costume recalls the Roman Empress Agrippina the Younger, considered the founder of Cologne. The golden crown resembles a fortress tower with battlements and signifies the city's impregnability and the reliability of its fortifications.
His Dazzling Folly (Seine Tollität) the Prince of Cologne is the main representative figure of all this revelry. The most honorable jester duty and position, that is, a role that can be played only once in a lifetime. The role of the prince involves great financial expenses. Just the costume costs up to six thousand euros, not to mention the need to take time off work for a long carnival leave.
Carnival in Cologne is for all ages, and the carnival spirit is absorbed with mother's milk. Each jester guard or corps has its own children's groups. Each season, the city also proclaims its own children's triumvirate. Its only difference from the adult jester trio is that the role of the Virgin is played not by a young man but by one of the young female residents of Cologne.
Children play carnival like adults. Adults become children. Everyone understands the special carnival language, in which the greeting-cheer "Kölle Alaaf" performs the most important function. The main activity of the spectators of the carnival procession is the passionate catching of small bouquets, chocolates with the emblems of fool societies, and other sweets and souvenirs generously scattered by its participants.
Guest stands are set up along the procession route. Some tickets can be purchased, others are corporate, belonging to carnival societies, companies, city organizations. The best free spots on the sidewalks are taken early in the morning. Owners of balconies have no such problems. They can sleep in, and a place "in the box" is guaranteed to them.
During the crazy days and nights of the "fifth season," the fool folk amuse themselves as best they can. Almost all furniture is carried out of pubs in advance so that it won't be smashed to pieces. In front of pubs, they hang straw-stuffed effigies – Nubbel. On the last night of the carnival, they will become a kind of scapegoat. The effigies are burned, blaming them for all their carnival sins. On "Ash Wednesday," Lent begins.