Post by Happy Mondays

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿! At Happy Mondays, we got talking about what this season means to each of us—because if there’s one topic that highlights our cultural differences, it’s the so-called "Fifth Season". A Rhinelander, a Bavarian, and a Frenchman walk into a bar… sounds like the start of a ‘Büttenrede‘, right? 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿, born and raised in the Rhineland: "I’ve lived in Munich for over 25 years, but come carnival season, my heart aches a little. Suddenly, I’m blasting (old) Cologne carnival tunes and singing along to my wife’s despair—those lyrics were drilled into us in primary school! That’s the thing about ‘𝘍𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘥‘: it’s woven into the Rhinelanders’ DNA. It’s this wonderfully unifying, egalitarian chaos. Who you are doesn’t matter—just grab a drink and join in. Dress up, laugh loud, sway along, and sing it proud! Honestly, I’d argue Oktoberfest has more in common with our carnival than Bavaria’s version does." 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲, born and raised in Upper Bavaria: “My hometown’s Fasching traditions echo the ancient Alpine rituals to banish winter’s grip. While the season passes quietly with town hall balls and the iconic ‘𝘒𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘭’ adorning the church tower, the real spectacle arrives on 𝘍𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨 (Fat Tuesday): the ‘𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘨𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘯’ erupts—a raucous parade of Moosgeister (bog spirits) clad in haunting wooden masks and tattered costumes, their clamour filling the streets. Locals join the procession, blending mischief with folklore, as the spirits 'drive away' winter’s chill." 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻, born and raised in Auvergne, and studied in Paris: “In the regions where I grew up and studied in France, Carnival was mostly a high school affair. On Fat Tuesday, we’d dress up (my friend Alexandre and I once went as carrots—yes, carrots!), and the tradition was to throw eggs and flour at the façade of our rival school when I was in Paris. By evening, it was over, and no one mentioned it again. Then I moved to Frankfurt. Suddenly, Carnival was everywhere: parades planned for months, parties for all ages, and TV broadcasts from Cologne (with humour I still don’t always get). The scale of the celebration here is incredible—nothing like what I knew!” It’s fascinating to see how differently cultures embrace the same tradition. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲?