COLOGNE CARNIVAL 🤡🇩🇪 We Went to One of the Biggest Celebrations in All of Germany!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- We got to experience Carnival in Cologne, Germany for their 200th anniversary and it was EPIC! We had such a incredible time and learned more about the people of Cologne, their traditions, food and local dialect. Here we share with you the history and rich traditions that surround this centuries-old celebration, and our own personal experience.
Carnival in Cologne is famous for its colorful and elaborate costumes, satirical floats, and musical events. People from all walks of life come together to dance, sing, and enjoy the festivities, creating a vibrant and inclusive atmosphere. The city’s streets come alive with music, laughter, and revelry, and the air is filled with the scent of traditional carnival foods such as Reibekuchen (potato pancakes), beer and Glühwein (mulled wine).
#karneval #köln #colognegermany #carnivalseason #alaaf
📖 See the blog post that goes with this video here - mymerrymessyge...
🤩 LIKE THE MUSIC IN THIS VIDEO?
I get all of my music, sounds, and stock footage from Envato Elements. They have video editing courses, too! For just $15 a month, they offer UNLIMITED downloads. The best deal I've found out there. Use this link to try it out! 1.envato.marke...
🇩🇪 Life in Germany blog posts and videos here - mymerrymessyge...
//PLAYLISTS/
🇩🇪 Life in Germany - • Life in Germany
🇩🇪 Raising Children in Germany - • Raising Children in Ge...
🇩🇪 Traveling with Kids - • Traveling with Kids
🇩🇪 Germany is Beautiful - Relaxing Nature Videos of Germany - • How Germans & Scandina...
🇩🇪 Christmas is Magical in Germany - • First Time Trying Germ...
//ABOUT US//
We are a family of six, with four kids and a cat 😹, who moved from the USA to Germany in February of 2021 to pursue our dreams of adventure, travel, learning another language, and integrating into German life. We hope you enjoy our videos about our journey to integrate - the highs and the lows of being foreigners on the adventure of a lifetime.
//LET'S CONNECT!//
Instagram: / mymerrymessygermanlife
Facebook: / mymerrymessygermanlife
Pinterest: / merrymessylife
Twitter: / merrymessylife
Visit the Website: mymerrymessyge...
Visit my Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/s...
See My Book, Detox Your Home, on Amazon: amzn.to/31NjzRv
Hi everyone! I made a mistake in the video with the St. Maria I'm Kapitol church - it's not a Roman church. Here is the correct info - St. Maria im Kapitol (St. Mary's in the Capitol) is an 11th-century Romanesque church located in the Kapitol-Viertel in the old town of Cologne, Germany. The name “im Kapitol“ refers to the Roman temple for the Capitoline Triad that was built on today’s site of the church in the first century. The Catholic church is based on the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, was dedicated to St. Mary and built between 1040 and 1065.[1] It is one of twelve Romanesque churches built in Cologne during this period.
to me it looked roman as well, I guess anyone who has not studied building styles of the centuries can hardly tell the difference just by looking at it.
Es freut mich zu sehen, dass Sie alle eine angenehme Zeit in Köln hatten, und dass Sie Spaß am Karneval hatten. Wenn Sie mal wieder nach Köln kommen sollten, schauen Sie sich doch mal die Kirche Sankt Gereon an. Dieser Bau vereint spätantike, römische Elemente und mittelalterliche, romanische und frühgotische Teile. Insgesamt sehr imposant und beeindruckend. Abgesehen von den wiederhergestellten Kirchen gibt es in der Innenstadt von Köln ja wegen der starken Bombardierungen kaum Bauten aus alter Zeit. In den Vorstädten, z.B. Nippes oder Ehrenfeld findet sich noch viel Köln des 19. Jahrhunderts. Ich freue mich immer wieder Ihre Beiträge hier zu sehen und bin beeindruckt von Ihrem Einsatz Ihre "neue Heimat" besser kennenzulernen.
That was an obvious mistake about the Church... but understandable. The Roman Era in Nord-western Europe came to an end around 475 - 500 AD when the Westeern Roman Empire collapsed. The buildingstyle the Romans used had a revival around the 10th to 12th Century.. called Romanesque.
Good to see you had a great time in Köln..
BTW. I don't know if others already noticed, the "Alaaf" isn't uniquely from Köln (or Germany), it's a greeting also used on the occasion of Carnival in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Thanks for doing a video about Karneval in Köln! As a native Rheinländer now living in Oregon, it’s nice to get a little bit of a Karneval fix this way. But I’m also always surprised how few Americans have heard about Carneval in Germany. Since one of the main prejudices about Germans is that they don’t have fun or a sense of humor, people are always surprised when I tell them that Cologne basically closes down for 6 days and people celebrate and party around the clock during that time! Why is it thatevery American has heard about Oktoberfest, but nobody has heard about Carneval?
Yeah I’m not sure why Oktoberfest is more famous. I did find out that about 6 million people attend Oktoberfest and it’s more like 1-2 million for Carnival, so maybe that’s why? But since Carnival is celebrated all over Germany, just with different names, you’d think Americans still would know about it. Maybe our video can spread the word to more Americans!
Simple explanation - the allies in Germany had different parts of Germany where they were located. American soldiers were mainly located in the south of Germany except for a few in Münster/NRW, Bremen+Bremerhaven and Berlin. Karneval is centered in Mainz, that was occupied by France and in the Rhineland (Köln + Düsseldorf) which was occupied by the British. Because of that most American soldiers that returned home after WW2 had the stereotype of a Bavarian in Dirndl and Lederhos'n when they talked about Germany not realizing that they only saw a small part of Germany. Add to that that the south had more rural population where doing your work was more important than fun to live after the war lead to the other stereotype of Germans being serious. There is not much fun if you have to suffer to get your food. And because most Americans do not hit the road and visit other countries that stereotype stayed until today. It's like putting all Americans in the stereotype of the Cowboy you know from the books of Karl May.
@@seanthiarthe US was also located in Frankfurt and all of Hessen and they celebrate Carnival (or Fasching what they call it) a lot. I was born in Frankfurt and remember that a lot of GIs roaming the streets, one of my uncles is a formed GI who stayed in Germany and married my Aunt - so in this area they could get a lot of contact with carnival celebrating locals.
@@Moleman0815 Although I come from the middle of Frankfurt - Fulda originally I'm currently working on projects in Fulda, otherwise I'd probably neither have noticed that Fulda has the biggest carnival in Hesse (bigger than Frankfurt and others) but also that 'Fulda Gap' was assumed the most probable breakthrough point for the USSR tanks in case of a new (no more cold) war. So, overall there were multiple dozens of American barrack buildings here (now being part of university, public projects, social apartments and similar), and e.g. on UA-cam you can see that even the cheapest KB-effect image-switching-videos with just some music in the background get tens of thousands of views and comments from veterans with former presence in Fulda. So yes, there are definitely plenty of U.S. Americans who know more than Bavaria and its culture....
Wie jetzt?? Aus dem Rheinland gefluechtet In die USA?? Ich komme aus Duesseldorf, wohne jetzt in der Pfalz, mir brachte dieses Video auch viele Erinnerungen zurück
Grayson :) This is your future self talking to you. As soon as you head of to university and have your first apartment you will be happy to have enough sponges :D 20 Sponges you wont have to buy equal a beer ;) Or 100 Sponges a Döner Kebap Date with someone you like. Remember these words :D Great Video guys
Hahaha love this!
The Rosemonday parade has a distance of about 7 km, the parade itself of about 8 km. That means if the first one is in front of the finish line, the end still hasn't started. More than 12,000 people take part in the procession, including 1,500 people in dance groups, 2,600 musicians in 76 bands, 4,000 helpers and 3,200 foot groups. around 200 wagons and carriages are there, 300 tons of sweets are thrown, including 700,000 chocolate bars and 220,000 boxes of pralines, 300,000 little bouquets of flowers. The throwing material is paid for by the participants themselves and is not actually taken over by the clubs. Sometimes there are things from sponsors, but it's not a lot. The migration route is about 7km long and the parade about 8km. When the first group crosses the finish line, the last one hasn't even started. Depending on where you are, it can happen that you are on the road for 12 hours or more. Around 1.5 million people line the migration route every year. From Weiberfastnacht (Thursday before Shrove Monday) to Veilchentuestag (Tuesday after Shrove Monday) there are a total of around 70-80 smaller parades in the districts. I hope I was able to inform you about our customs and greetings from Cologne.
Es freut mich immer, wie Ihr Euren Kindern die neue Heimat mit all seinen Festen und Veranstaltungen näherbringt! Liebe Grüße vom Simssee (Lkr. Rosenheim)
Hallo Claus 🙋♂, lieber Vanessa B. Follower ( und VB-Uhren-Besitzer 😉😊). Du bist auch hier zu finden ? Das freut mich !
Ist aber auch kein Wunder. So einem fantastischen Kanal zu folgen (mache ich nun schon seit genau 2 Jahren sehr intensiv) , macht einfach Spaß, erweitert meine Sichtweisen und hilft mir dabei, daß meine Englisch-Kenntnisse nicht verkümmern. LG in den Chiemgau ! Klaus Z.
nice! one important beer note: „Kölsch“ is a beer style while „Früh“ is just a brewery that mostly makes „Kölsch“-style beer. so it’s a Früh Kölsch. but there are many other Kölsch breweries: Reisdorf, Gaffel, Sion, Päffgen, …
Ahhh okay! Thanks for clearing that up. I thought Kölsch was a brewery because I see it written on the glasses.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife you are welcome! I get it’s confusing, but Cologne is one of the few cities that have their own beer style :).
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Kölsch is also some kind of a trademark. You can only name your beer Kölsch if it is brewed in Cologne directly or the nearest surrounding area and it's also a protected regional speciality by EU law. The Sünner brewery was the first brewery to brew Kölsch in 1906. Yes we take our Kölsch very serious. :D
But Früh is the best
Mühlen Kölsch is the best.
It was an amazing time, so much fun, even though I had to leave early. I can't wait for another adventure with you all! 🥰
So glad you joined us! It was so much fun!!
Kölle Alaaf! I lived near Kölln by a local family for around 2 month to visit German language school. I had an opportunity to experience the Carnival with another short stay. They have very distinctive culture and dialect. The folks are very kind and have warm heart. Thank you for the video which brought me back to the time, quite long long time ago!! "Dat wor jode ahle Zick!" 🙂
haha
A late "Kölle Alaaf" to her Princess Sara and King Kevin from the Chiemgau Kingdom 😉😊 !
Well presented, your impressions of carnival in cologne. I appreciate your video and your informations about the history of this famous event. Thank you so much.
Thanks so much, Klaus! 😄
Schön, dass es Euch in meiner Heimatstadt gefallen hat😉. Weiterhin viel Spaß in Deutschland und noch viele schöne Eindrücke.
McFalls family. What on earth has happened to you? We have not heard from you in 8 months and I guess it is not only me that is worried. Please , I hope you are fine. ind regards !
First of all - I really like your costumes and second : You are very brave travelling to Cologne for the 5th season - I live in the area and we travel away during theses days 🤣🤣🤣 Like your open minded attitude. 👍👍👍
ofc they are throwing more candy in the veedelszug then the big rosenmontagszug.keep in mind,its more then 7 kilometers long and packed on both sides with over 1 million people,they need to have something for everyone.for me,when i was young,iallways stood close to the end,when they throw out all they have left :)
Grayson and the sponges! 😃😅🙈 Loved it! So funny 😃
He made us laugh, too! 🧽 SPONGES!!
Yes, the Rhine Valley, a very special part of Germany. Good to see that you liked being here. Very different to Bavaria ... And the rest of the country.
We love the Rhine region of Germany. We used to live in Metz, France and would go to Burg Eltz a few times.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife No surprise! :) Rhine, Eifel, Mosel, lLahn, Lorraine are just great. Esp. being close to France,Belgium,Luxemburg andt he Netherlands is nice, we go on weekend trips to the Champagne frequently. Not that I wouldn't like Bavaria, I Lived and worked there for years... but the people there are different
Bavaria had once a colony at the Rhine
The groups that you subtitled with "another Krampuslauf" are from the schwäbisch-alemannischen Fasnscht. As the name hints it's celebrated mostly in the south-west of Germany. Most of the Groups (Zünfte) there wear wooden handcarved maks and the costumes (Häs) are often handpainted (Weisnarren) or made of hundreds pieces of cloth (Fleckle). It's a little different to Karneval at Cologne, maybe a bit darker in some of it's rites, but also very nice to see. Known events during schwäbisch-alemannische Fasnacht are for example the Narrensprung at Rottweil, the Schuttigmarsch in Elzach or the Da-Bach-na-fahre in Schramberg. There are also many parades during Fasnacht, but not as big as in cologne. Anyhow it's also worth a visit for a different experience of the fünfte Jahreszeit.
Danke! Genau darauf wollte ich auch hinweisen (: Try to come to the schwäbisch-allemannische Fasnet next year! Especially the Schuttig in Elzach.... there is really so much to explore in the south... It really is different (:
One may should add, that both tradition lines do thrive from the same medieval and early-modern roots, and Colognes Carneval very much looked the same like Schwäbisch-Allemannische Fasnet and vice versa up until the late 18th century. Even more there has been a time not too long ago, when the 'newer' firm of modern "Rheinische Carneval" like You've seen it in Cologne, almost wiped out the older (and then old fashioned thought) Schwäbisch-Allemannische #Fasnet, which 'survived' as a relict only in very few communities in the German Southwest (like in Rottenburg or Schömberg) at the beginning of the 20th century and had to be 'restored' and 'reintroduced' with quite some effort in most other places again from the 1920s on - which also explains why there are still groups dedicated to the 'Rheinische' Form of Carnival in the German Southwest today and most Schwäbisch-Allemannische Narrenzünfte were founded much later, compared to their Cologne counterpart, albeit their firm of Carnival-practicing resembles more the older medieval form. So why there are then some definitely Schwäbisch-Allemannische groups in the Cologne Rosenmintagszug? Well, they are 'shipped' in as additional attraction and by befriended Cologne groups, who themselves sometimes do participate in Southwestern Carnival festivities, both done as a Symbol of unity and common traditions, but also out of cherish for and tribute to the hughe variety of regional (Carnival) traditions and nonetheless the many people from South Western or Rheinland descent living in both regions. It's a bit like Inner-German courtesy and "Carneval diplomacy" between regions, who both have and had very destinct regional history and traditions and whose citizens aren't always so fond of and kind to each other.
Please don’t forget Villingen.
Thank you so much for this comment !
I was so surprised when I saw the Hansele, Moosmulle and the Hölzlekönig from my hometown
So many great explanations that the only thing to add is ‚e glückselige Fasnet‘ an a hearty Narri Narro! There are some meet-ups of Zünfte after January 6, when Fasnet begins in the south west. If you check out those, there are groups from all over and there usually is a great atmosphere.
Hello from a German in Australia! I'm actually from Cologne and loved to see my hometown on your video. Glad you enjoy your time over there and wishing you all the best!
You described the Kölner Karneval so well!!!❤ Btw you looked awesome!!!!!😂 Edit: you were totally right not to say "Helau" in Cologne (always "Alaaf", please!) Eventually they would have been killed you (fun!) otherwise!!!😂 In other regions (in Hagen f.e.) you can yell "Helau", but never never in Cologne. That's a serious thing!!!! I really loved your footage and the explanations seen through the eye of a non- native. Great job!!! Thanks a lot, you made my day! 😊
Hi
Ah looks like you had a lot of fun in Cologne. Yeah it is really a big event and yeah the trash going with it is 'normal' for Cologne and other cities with big carnival parades. I can't really see how you could make it more environment friendly without removing the part of throwing candy and flowers (Strüßje as we call them here in Cologne) into the crowd. You really can't throw unpackaged candy, can you? And removing that aspect would make the children really sad i am sure.
What i wanted to mention also is that every district of the City also has their own local parade. They usually take place spread out across all the days from Friday to Tuesday with the exception of Monday. Most take place on Sunday and Tuesday. I actually took part in such a local parade as a schoolkid once. It was organized by the school so they provided the costume. I also had a small bag of candy to throw. That definitely was an experience. I must have been in 5th or 6th grade not exactly sure anymore. I have to point out one mistake in the video as any German can't leave such things alone without losing his citizenship (do i really have to point out that as a joke?): The Cologne Cathedral was finished in 1880 (though as everyone in Cologne knows that it will never be finished really 🙂). The building process was restarted in 1823 not 1880.
Ah okay, good to know. I got that information from a few different websites, so they have it wrong? Yeah it's funny how Germans have to correct every detail. To Americans, this just isn't as big of a deal. Different cultures. :)
Its here at Düsseldorf the same desaster. The old tradition of carnival is destroyed by drunken tourists and young partypeople. Both cities, Cologne and Düsseldorf fighting since years against these, every year they trying new conzepts make more familiar and traditionelle. But every year there are more and more uncivilized party crashers. Also every normal weekend, crowds of this young unsocial tourists from the villages around give our loved cities a bad taste and destroy our culture
And they complain about not knowing the carnival songs. And want to hear Schlager and this aprés ski bullshit and Mallorca stuff. Leave us alone. This is not carnival.
That’s a shame. 😰
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife these both big cities, directly at Rhine with great gastronomie and beautifull old streets and houses and great new architecture are destroyed by this shame Bachelor Party people, young sooo dumb Influenzer with Ferrari and Rolex for one day. Our cities are victims from Tiktok and these shity Channels. Party, here the waste, the trouble. 🤷🤦Its fun, makes clicks, likes and more and more of these idiots. Like in the US Spring Break and this happens every Weekend to us. Last year my daughter was Out in Altstadt for Dinner. A Policeman come in. He was a Stripper for a women Bachelor Party. He stripped in the middle of the Restaurant 🤢🤮
@@ceha9517 i'm not into carnival at all, but I love the songs so much.
If you ever got hit in the face by a bar of chocolate, that has been thrown with some lack of precision, you will appreciate sponges.
1.5 million people watching the Rosenmontagszug is even more impressive considering that Cologne has about 1.0 inhabitants. That means that once in a year there is a massive stress-test for the whole infrastrcture. But, as the locals say: "Et hätt noh immer joot jejange!" (it has always come to a good end).
I'm glad you mentioned how many people live in Cologne as I hadn't looked that up . So yeah, once a year, the city doubles! That is a huge stress on the infrastructure. I must say that the city did a fantastic job keeping up with all of the craziness. It was very well organized and planned out.
Do they ever throw sachets of cologne?
I see your children start speaking perfect German, This is wonderful. All my children speak at least 4 languages. Its a nice advantage and the world stands open.
Wow, 4 languages! Amazing!
It is so great to see how you you experienced Karneval! Growing up near to Cologne i love to see how much fun you had! A lot of people thinks that Karneval is just drinking beer and get drunk. It is absolutely NOT about that. It is about being together, meet new people from all over the world and celebrate the life at this exact moment!
Yeah we could really see how it’s so much more than getting drunk. We saw so many local groups hanging out together and having events in hotel ballrooms. I can see how it’s a really big deal when you’re part of a Verein or school that participates in the parade. A source of pride for your history and where you live.
omg🎉🎉🎉 I have not seen so many serious Germans having no fun, do not make jokes, always dressed correctly, never celebrate or partying in one place ever 😂😂😂😂
❤ that you enjoyed it!
Warning it is quite addictive
Yeah it didn’t feel like we were in Germany anymore! 😂🤪😉
yep it's worth the fun... and due to hygenic reason it can not be done very much different.... but it's part of the culture but wouldn't a big deal if everything was CO2 neutral.... so Carneval and the culture is probably the least to point a finger at, as long as we have cruise ships, airplanes and so much traffic that is not CO2 neutral
"Full size chocolate bar. Can you imagine this flying towards your head"
Yupp, happened to me in 2017 at the Rosenmontagszoch. It was Toffifee but still knocked me out for a few seconds😅
Yes! Flying candy and giant chocolate bars! It was wild.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife I once got hit by a beer bottle that was dropped from a float
Ohh, next time in Cologne you must go to the Roman Germanic history museum….super interesting for kids….went there on several school trips and loved it
That does sound good! All the museums were closed while we were there so we couldn’t even visit the chocolate museum.
My ancestors came from cologne. Beautiful city.
New subscriber coming over from Feli's channel. Time to binge watch your great content as trip to Germany planned for 3 weeks this August, mostly in Bavaria too. Looking forward to spring!
Very cool! You'll love it!
That was so nice - fun to watch 👸
Glad you enjoyed it, Arno!
Du bist auch überall 😅 🙏🏻
@@CavHDeu Wie du auch 😉🤣
@@arnodobler1096 immer da wo guter Content ist 🫡
@@CavHDeu und nette Leute sind
Your son is so comical, it looks like a lot of fun. We hope to visit Germany one day, my husband was stationed there and he always tells me how beautiful it is, thank you for posting😊
You should have visited Germany before 2015. Now Germany has abolished itself through politics and migrants
Kölle Alaaf! 🥳 I was waiting for this for sooo long 😍😍😍Welcome to my hometown! ❤️😍 I am sure you also heard "Strüssje"💐 a lot which means "flowers".
I love that Gracen caught sponges 🤣 That's a child's dream 😉 And the sun looked a bit like french fries 😅I agree!
If you would like to experience it again, you are invited to stay with us anytime and we are happy to show you our favorite places in 2024🥳
Oh really! So you’re gonna move back to Cologne? That would be so fun to experience it again but with another family that has kids. I’m not sure, we will see if the kids want to go back.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Yes, we only have a few months left 😢 and we are already starting to prepare for the big move. Honestly, I am a bit nervous, because I think we might experience a reverse culture shock 😅 But of course, we are also excited to be closer to family and friends again...
their kids are genuinely so funny it's heartwarming!
Very interesting to see Karneval through your eyes. I (as a German) has never been to Cologne during Karneval. It is a great city and the Dom is amazing. Good, that you "made" your children visit it. They will always remember it. Sometimes you have to "make" them do things :), which they will appreciate later on in life. Oh and, I was surprised by the amount of candy they throw out these days. It nearly compensates your train tickets.
Yeah there are some things in our travels we “make” our kids do. I was so glad we showed them the cathedral since they got to hear the incredible music. They loved listening to it!
I was born in Frankfurt and hated carnival (or Fasching) my whole live, but after i moved to Cologne i started celebrating it with local friends and now i love it. You can get a ton of fun if you avoid certain areas like the Zülpicher Strasse. There are some hotspots that are mostly visited by those young binge drinking I*iots which could ruin your days, but if you go to the smaller bars in the more quiet districs you can celebrate with the locals which is a ton of fun. So if you ever happen to visit Cologne during Carnival thy this and experience the true Karneval. :)
Wann kommt ihr mal nach Berlin?
Ich könnte euch hier viele tolle Plätze zeigen, eine tolle Kombination aus unbekannten und bekannten Sehenswürdigkeiten und viel Natur mitten in der Stadt. :)
Liebe Grüße!!!
kölsch beer or as its called outside of colonge, pisswater xD
i HONESTLY prefer carneval in düsseldorf over colonge but thats maybe a birthplace reasons xD
Good to know that Düsseldorf also has an awesome celebration!
Thanks for a fun video of Karnival. I will get to spend a day in Koln next month while I am visiting friends who live in Essen and yes, I will see the Dom and drink some Gaffel Kolsch which I also buy at my local store at home in Newport. Our local fest and parade is St. Patrick's day which can be lots of fun when it isnt raining.
Not sure if you have already done your day visit but I would highly recommend to also give "Schreckenskammer" Kölsch a try. An old local Kölsch that only recently started to sell some bottles locally but predominantly still sells in their own house which used to be the last beer given to convicts before their execution.
In my opinion it's the best Kölsch. Otherwise Mühlen Kölsch from the tap or Reissdorf if it is bottled are imo the best.
I think the trash issue is, like, not ideal, *but* it's for a very limited time. Averaged across the year I suspect it isn't quite *that* bad. (Though no doubt it's enough to skew the average amount of trash on the streets upwards) - This is also a huge number of people in a very small area. Spread out across where they *normally* would be, they'd still produce quite a good amount of trash a day (though possibly less overall)
Still would be nice to organize these events in less trashy ways.
Yes this is a very good point.
Well, you ask for locals to react on the trash on Heumarkt. So, here I am to react. In fact, it is all collected and brought to sorting plants where they separate it into glass (to be recycled), plastics (to be recycled), biomass (to be composted or aerobically digested), metals (to be recycled), and finally dirt (to be incinerated). So actually, Karneval in Kölle am Rhing is quite okay from a trash and climate point of view. Assuming that all visitors and tourists use the train to come here, of course... ;-)
That’s good to know! Compared to the USA, Germany is going an amazing job with recycling. I’m sure there’s always room for improvement, but we are quite impressed.
I was born in Cologe and still live here. I love to see how strangers experience my home town. And for my very first time I saw the church St. Maria im Kapitol (I even didn't know the name yet) from inside because I never visited it. Shame on me... But thanks!
The hugh amount of trash is indeed a negative aspect of Karneval but luckily all of it is removed by the public garbage collection within a few days.
Hope you come back to Köln soon. There's much more to see here than the cathedral and Karneval. You missed the Cologne Triangle with the best view on the city and many other stuff. But I would recommend to come in spring or summer because then you have the bist vibe in the city.
We wanted to also visit the chocolate museum but it was closed for Karneval while we were there. But we walked all over the city and really enjoyed it. Children don’t like city tours so Kevin and I sneak out while they watch a movie in the hotel to see things. We’d love to see more but it’s just not possible with children yet…one day!
Hello, I´m new on your channel and I will follow you, because I hope, you show your american friends, that Germany isn´t only the living style (and costumes 😁) of Bavaria. Germany has a lot of other beautiful landscapes and peoples. 😉😊 Greetings from Lower Saxony.
Carnival sounds like the German version of Marti Gras, which is celebrated in New Orleans.
Great video. I could not make it "home" this year and to sing my carneval song here in Berlin just to myself ;-) I grew up in Bonn so not that far away and we basically have the same culture, dialect, beer and dishes... and Cologne is just a 20 mintes ride from Bonn, so actually you take advantage of the closeness. As neither my parents nor i was born in that aerea, i do not really know the dialect but i can tell that after being teached all the most important carneval songs Carneval really grew on me. Music is the key. The lyrics are very funny or even really heartfelt and emotional, especially when praising the city spirit. rightly so. Only one thing i might have misunderstood: romanic style churches were not built by the romans.... the roman empire collaps centuries earlier and after that Cologne was part Karolinger, Merowinger and Frankonian empire.. so when the romanic churches were erected, the Romans were history. Though there are Roman sites still to be found in Cologne. But I think no churches. But maybe i did not listen good enough..
This was a very fun video to watch you really experience "Rheinischer Karneval" for the first time. It is something else. I'm from a region where Karneval (or as we call it Fastnacht) is taken seriously and even for me the Rheinischer Karneval has always been next level of madness.
And I don't want to sound nitpicky but the text "which was built in 1100 by the Romans" is ridiculous. The (West) Roman Empire was long gone by then, but it is built in the Romanesque style, which we call "Romanik".
I wanted to correct that one, too. No longer any Romans in sight at that time in Cologne. Still, you would call the architectural period "romanisch" (romanesque style), when later it became "gotisch" (gothic style). Not to be confused with "römisch" (roman, antique style)
@@dorisschneider-coutandin9965 Yeah that was a mistake.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife No worries. Things like that easily happen. 😉
Jup, you can get some pretty fun things instead of candy in carneval parades. In one of our local carneval parades, from a former village that was absorbed by trhe city, they throw all vegetables you need for a good soup. They throw things like leek, onions, potatoes, carrots and celery root. Tradition is to make a parade soup out of your catches afterwards
Splendid video, wich very well kept the diversity and colourfullness of Colognes Carnival. And yes, it's a bit ironic when (mostly) the very same people do engage in theitlr groups and with their themed floats for environmental themes and contrast climate change, and then behave simultaneously like there is no tomorrow, producing piles of environmental hazarding rubbish. But there's logic and purpose in all this madbess, at least if You understand the deeper anarchic rules and core of Carnival, which as a psychological, social and moral concept and practice, is based very much on turning the hole world upside down, mocking and doubting any kind of logic, moral, order, ethics, appropriatedness, functionality, status, gender, power, homogenity prevention, belief, ethnicity, security etc.. In short, Carnival is some kind of deep existencial exorcism, doubting, deconstructing, questioning, analyzing and turning upside down the world. A world, where irony, deep doubt, ambiguity, disrespect, immorality and irony not only are cherished, but also practiced on purpose! So it's anything else than ignorance or coincidence, when Carnevalist on one moment do propagate environmental protection or critical political satyrics, and in the other go totally crazy bahaving like there's no tomorrow and doubting, even actively counterstrike and 'destroy' everything they just have done and said, even because they acnolege the deep vanity, stupidity, illusion and tremendous danger lerking behind every (moral) order. And yes, it's no coincidence, this sounds a bit like Buddhist or Hindu teachings of karma and nirvana, alxause it's the same mindset of the ever changing circle of creation and destruction and therefore of insolveable intertwindedness, ambiguity and therefore illusive Ness of all things, including God and bad, which from time to time mustbbe brought into balance. And yes, this most probably includes a very old 'practical tradition', from which Carnival and many, intrensic 'existentislustic' Euroasian Traditions, Practices, Philosophies and even religions do nourish. So, to understand Carnival, it means that it is so miluch more than a colourfull feast. It's a psychological concept, which by doubting, mocking and turning up each and everything, brings the world back in a sort of 'newly' balanced and mentally boddyly but also morally redone and reborn state. A bit like pushing a complete restart button, which only can be done by doubting and forgetting over your own 'normal', well behaved, this is restricted self, doubting each and everything and therefore some kind of 'institutionalized' regular form of chaos, anarchy, misbehave, ambiguity and chaos. A birlt like you'd combine social political activism, systemic and moral critucizm, empowerment, egotrip and psychotherapy all in once. And no, it's not only about the others but much more about requestioming, recallibratimg doubting, mocking, ionizing and purposefully challenging, changing and reinventing Yourself and your place and
Yourself and your own 'place in the universe, Also knowing, thus state of exception, anarchy, disdorder and challenge can't last forever, and has to be somehow transfered and included back into a functioning 'norm'. In short, Carnival is a huge social and mental experiment, setting 'normal' order out of order temporalily, with the aim to create a new and hopefully 'better' normal by doubting and ionizing purpusfully the actual one.
And yes, may not any Carnevalist will knew or think about all this, but he or she are practicing it, having no problem to unify contradictions or create new questions and fractions, where there haven't been one before. Is Carnival therefore some kind of political activism fighting for the good and better tomorow of mankind? Well, it can be, but activist should be coucious, because Carnival knows no dogma and is provoked by any kind of dogmatic or fu da mentalist thinking, even more, Carnival is dedicated to deconstruct even the best efforts and holiest of all beliefs, reaching out to expose them as selfish and vain expression of human illusions and hybris. So as an Activist you can use Carnival for your agenda, and You are as welcome or not welcome than any other "Jeck", but You have to be aware, that Carnevalist aren't willing believers, but passionate deconstructors of ALL order and belief. And they don't do so via loud critics, big protests or by violence, they use much sharper and hurtful swords like irony, total disrespect, doubt, sarcasm and irony. In short they mock the world, making her better, by making her ridiculous and doubtfull, and therfore preventing actively any kind of proud, selfishness, moral supremacy, hybris, ego or dogma.
So, don't wonder, if the behaviour of Carnevalists sometimes looks very eclectic, immoral, inconsequent, purposeless and 'ironic', they do so on purpose to remind themselves and the world, that all order, moral, belief, security, ego, identity, even existstence is a self-made illusion and cage, we have to free ourselves at least partly from, when we want to survive and go on. And yes, thus can be highly subversive, provoking,, challenging, irritating and in appropriate, and - at least in it's deeper and excessive grown up form - isn't too suitable for little children. Nonetheless, it's worth it, cause Carnival gives us all a space of doubt, anarchy and experiment, which our normal, well ordered, highly restricted, functional and productive live and society during the rest of the year bitter misses and is so much in need for.
So don't wonder, if (mostly) the same people create a climate change Carnival float, and in the next moment get totally crazy and behave like there would be no torrow, challenging any kind of appropriate and environmentally) but also socially) sustainable and 'acceptable" behaviour. It's done on purpose and part of the game, showing You, that things like appropriatedness, logic, norms, order, acceptable behaviour and even your best purpose and wish is nothing but illusive and vain, self created illusional ideology and dogma, which can, very easily, do more harm, than it does benefit and therefore permanently must be doubted, mocked and therefore critically checked and surveilled. And yes, there is even a ritual and/or whole genre of literarture which expresses this even more, than Cologne Carnival, the so called "Büttenrede" and/or (both are often combined) the "Narrengericht", where - only seemingly - fools judge by foolish rules over people (mostly high ranking politicians, and sometimes even clerics, kings and queens) who are thought of or think of themselves not as fools. And yes, if you read until here, you may also should read Erasmus of Rotterdams 'Lob der Thorheit' or Sebastian Brandt's "Narrenschiff', or marvel about Pieter Breughels - highly carnevalesque - symbolism, or discover the, even more existencialistic custom and/or concept of the European #Totentanztradition, which not only is closely connected, but both inspired and was inspired by traditions like carneval, the Mexican dias de los muertos or Halloween.
Very good description
Thank you! ❤❤❤❤❤❤
The Bauer in the Dreigestirn also represents the peasants of the surrounding countryside that traditionally came to the city's aid in battles. Most noteworthy the battle of Worringen where the peasants from the Bergisches Land basically turned the tide for Cologne's victory. Cologne has never forgotten that and pays hommage every year with their Bauer.
I'm sure St. Maria was not built by the Romans, certainly not in 1100, by that time, the Romans were long gone. It rather is a romanesque church
Yeah you’re correct. I made a mistake.
I'm american, but live in Germany. Some of these Veedel Züge are huge....
So once I was in Chicago for St Patricks Day, and went down to Millenium Park to see the St Patricks day parade....anticipating that Ferris Bueller parade scene....and knowing German carnival parades, small, medium and large.
For a city that dyes the river - that parade was so underwhelming. They do need some of these Carnival people over there showing them how it is done....
Roman church does not mean it was built by Romans. Romanik was a period of time when this church was built. A certain style of archotecture with round arches, in contrary to the tipped arches from the following gothic period of architecture. 900 years is very old, yet the romans left Cologne in 455, some years before the roman empire was conquered - which lead to the "Holy Roman Empire of German Nationality". By that time Cologne was part of Franconia. The best known King/Emperor of Franconia was Charlemagne (crowned emperor in 800).
Yeah that was a mistake. Thanks for the correction!
You pronounced Fastnacht as "fast nackt" (almost naked). 🤣
Try learning another language in another country and then courageously speaking it online, only for people to laugh at you when you try. Comments like this make foreigners who are trying to learn German not want to try. Encourage us and you’ll have more and more who want to learn.
So, here we go.
It’s the German way of handling things, being direct without beating around the bush, pointing out emotionless an "error" AKA a fact.
JFTR, there’s a tiny difference to spot: telling "you have said…" is all about a friendly hint (so you might get the idea why people could start laughing if "Fastnacht" is pronounced that way), while if stated as "she has said…" would make me think of making fun of you - but that’s not the case here.
So no, Germans are not harsh, as long as you take things like this not personally. Like our French neighbors are saying: "Honi soit qui mal y pense"
@@agn855 We do understand the German directness, and there are many comments here in the video displaying it. However, most of the other commenters give their corrections with kindness, and no laughing emojis. It is funny that the way I said Fastnacht sounds like "almost naked," I laugh at my own mistakes all the time. But this commenter said NOTHING else about the entire 31 minute video except for this one mistake. That's just plain rude. It's not direct, it's rude. I've experienced a lot of German directness, and I appreciate it. It doesn't bother me. However, I do think that Germans need to be careful about their directness when it comes to people from other cultures. Germany is FULL of international people and not all of them are going to understand the directness until they've lived in the country longer. Just like I have to be careful as an American about things that are common in the USA but aren't common here in Germany.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Please do not let this stop you from trying to speak German in your videos. I did not even realize the implications of your mistake and as I love to learn other languages as well I know just how important it is to practice despite harsh comments.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Right on. Last week a UA-camr said, "Germans aren't rude, they just come across that way." ROTFL. What is the distinction? There is none! I wanted to tell you that this morning I tried to talk German to my husband and I literally couldn't get a SINGLE sentence correct. It was totally discouraging. I've been here 16 years and my grammar sucks. I must sound like a child to everyone I speak to. Trying to learn a 2nd language at age 36 is not recommended.
It was funny watching cologne through your eyes... as I have been living there for almost 10 years. ^^
Once I even had the chance to be part of the parade on sunday and throw the candy, as a pirate 😁😀
This year the parade was delayed several times so it took over 6 hours until the last group could be seen and because we were standing more along the end of the way it was dark for the last ~hour 🤣
For the first time a very few groups had bio-degradable packaging for the kamelle. It was only a minority, but its a start 😉
Yeah that’s a start! That’s so cool that you’ve been part of the parade before! I think it would be fun, though tiring.
I understand the tiredness of carnival. It is loud and messy and you are drunk and have to manage to pee somewhere. And nowhere to sit. And lot of singing and chatting. Nowadays I am always done with it on Saturday. Rosenmontagszug I watch on TV. I am old. 😭
Yeah totally! I agree. When you are 24, it’s fun. But then once you’re older, it’s just too much! I had a bad headache after one hour at the Rosenmontag parade. 😅
I was working at the Rosenmontag zug with other medics and police officers. A lady in a princess gown approached me and asked if she could use the bathroom of the church where we were stationed. I couldn't let her but I did go check out a Dixi Klo across the street and confirmed it was open. It was actually very clean, it was not meant to be used for Karneval. She said to me, "I cannot use that! I need a real bathroom. I don't want to get my costume dirty." I thought, "Princess indeed" and I told her if she's desperate, she will use it.
You said the favourite beers here are Kölsch and Früh. "Kölsch" is a type of beer, like Pils, Weizen or Alt. "Früh" is the name of a Kölsch brand. I'm pretty sure in Köln everybody is only drinking Kölsch. (You might get beaten up if you ask for an Alt Bier ;) )
Das war lustig, danke für den schönen Film!❤️
Dankeschön!
Hey there i realy loved your Video, but yeah there is a but ;-) about the Beer in Cologne you normaly drink "Kölsch" Kölsch is the Type of Beer. Früh, Gaffel, Reissdorf etc. are the Brands. The hughe Carnival Parades in the big Citys are allways on Rosenmontag means Rose Monday. Actual Carnival Seasson which is also heavy crowded you got it correct starts at 11.11 at 11:11 am each year. The hughest Parades are in Düsseldorf, Cologne and Mainz. Aachen has also a bigger one but not over the verry looooooong hours than the other mentioned Citys. and your favorite school Theme Wagon with bees it´s a Theme about the Series from Germany called "Biene Maja". It´s a very cute Series for Kids. Many Theme´s are about Politics. I hope i could give you a bit more info. 🙂
Romans 10:13
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
1 Corinthians 15:4
“And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures
"Kölle am Rin" means "Köln am Rhein" (= Cologne on the rhine).
Veedel = Viertel (quarter), pronounced with an F sound at the beginning and the e is pronounced like in get. :) I watched the parade in lokal TV where it was broadcasted, but I couldn't see you :D
Thanks for sharing about the Veedel - I wasn't sure what it meant. Too bad we weren't on TV, but I guess, we are now, in a way!
Not to sund ungratefull but we also sort out our candy catches after the parade. A lot of chewing candies, normal candy, lollipops etc also a lot of popcorn will not be eaten. We even get blood sausage here from time to time :)
We also tried some blood sausage for the first time at one of the restaurants but I didn’t film it! I should have but was so tired, hahaz
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife and, did you like it? Himmel un ääd is a traditional dish from the Rhine region, which is mashed potatoes and apple sauce (Himmel - sky - the apples from the tree and ääd - earth - potatoes from the earth) and fried blood sausage. Maybe you had this!
What I meant was that some floats throw wrapped blood sausage just like candy.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Great video, I know Cologne, but I have never been to the Karneval (I watch the Rosenmonatszug in TV every year). Sometime I must go there, too.
An Idea for your next video: Visit a soccer-stadium with the family, in Bavaria you have a big choice (1. FC Nürnberg, FC Augsburg, FC Bayern, 1860 Munich etc). You will have a lot of fun. Bier, Bratwurst and Bundesliga- more German is not possible. 😂
Im glad you are really enjoying yourself, this video put many a smiles on my face. Also your children are so adorable :D
We all had so much fun!
Your video was so so fun to watch Sara, thank you so much for sharing! I honestly can't believe how much candy the children got, that's crazy. The amount of trash really always shocks me. I studied in Köln for a semester before I changed to Düsseldorf University and was once in the city on November 12th so a day after the Karneval season begins - it was a really nightmare and shock to see all the trash in person and the entire city stank of Schnapps too (because of all the empty Schnapps bottles lying around). It was quite off-putting to be fair. But Jörg and I love Köln as a city, it's really charming, we visited often as it's so close to Düsseldorf.
Hi dear friend! Yeah the trash afterwards is quite shocking! But they did clean it up quickly, I must say. Yeah the kids got SO much candy!
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife I forgot to say how much I loved your costumes!
I hope, you finally tested a Mettbrötchen.
Halve Hahn ist auch gut 😉
@@sybilkent4913 Ein Käsebrot kann mit Mettbrötchen nicht mithalten.
We considered it, does that count? ;)
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife NO !!!
Ein toller Film wie immer, richtig professional 👍. Es freut mich sehr wenn ihr eure neue Wahlheimat als positiv empfindet. Ihr seid so nice und ihr seid sehr willkommen 😍. Und das mit den Toiletten in den IC´s, das ist oft eine unschöne Erfahrung 🤢, aber es gibt nun mal Saubären auf der Welt... überall 🤮.
Ich freu mich auf euer nächstes Video. See u soon hopefully 🥰
On Veilchendienstag there are more Carnival Parades in Mönchengladbach,Aachen,Krefeld,Neuss,Bonn,Koblenz
Just a little fun fact (I don't know, if you already knew):
"Haribo" ist short for "Hans Riegel Bonn" - the name of the founder and the city the company was foundet. Since Bonn is a close to Köln is a sure thing you get Haribo there.
I wonder why there isn't a Haribo Park somewhere like Lego Park or the Playmobil Park (which is great 😃)
@@elisabethlemoigne5710 That would be amazing! Kids would love it!
@@dirkspatz3692 there is also a big Haribo store in the Centro Shopping mall in Oberhausen
Your children are so cute! 😍🤣
Thank you so much!
This video is a truly underrated video about karneval in cologne and generally about cologne itself. LOVE IT. Grüße aus Köln!
Thank you so much! I did a lot of research for it. I appreciate your kind words!
There are different groups from other cities and regions invited every year to participate in the Rosenmontagszug. That is why you saw these traditional southern carnival group. 😊✌
Not only from other cities and regions. There are always international participants like from the UK or the Netherlands.
Very cool!
Ich lebe seit ca. 30 Jahren als Exilschwob in Köln - der Job hat mich damals hier her gespült - allerdings habe ich die letzten 28Jahre mehr irgendwo gelebt, nur an den Wochenenden in Köln - ok, seit gut 2 Jahren bin ich Rentner und wohne tatsächlich in Köln.
Auf eure allerletzte Frage, der "Kölner an sich" sieht das in etwa so, besser mal erlauben, die Sau raus zu lassen und ansonsten sehr brav zu sein, als die Lebenslust immer zu unterdrücken, was dazu führt, dass sich niemand mehr um "brav" schert. => siehe das kölsche Grundgesetz.
Die Stadtreinigung und insbesondere die Kölner RMVA (RestMüllVerbrennungsAnlage) ist extra auf die Müllflut an Karneval, Christopher Street Day, Köln Marathon, Hochwasser etc. so ausgelegt, dass auch solche Extremereignisse ohne Probleme bewältigt werden können. Ich war da mal während der Planungs- und Genehmigungsphase dran beteiligt. Bedarf im Normalfall: 3 Linien á 16t/h Restmüll, Auslegung: 4 Linien á max 20t/h => da sind 66% Reserve drin. Damit wurde auch angestrebt, dass die Revision einer Linie ohne fremde Hilfe durch andere Anlagen selber abgedeckt werden kann. So konnte die RMVA Köln während/nach der Ahrtal Überschwemmung sehr viel des anfallenden Mülls ohne Probleme aufnehmen.
Als Schwob würde ich euch noch den Rottweiler Narrensprung (z.B. 20./21.02.2023) als alternative Erfahrung der allemanischen Fasnet empfehlen - allerdings würde ich warten, bis das jüngste Kind mindestens 10 Jahre alt ist. Komplett anders, aber halt auch wirklich gelebtes Brauchtum, uralte Holzmasken und sehr traditionelle Kleidungen prägemn da das Bild. Um das zu verstehen braucht es etwas Internetrecherche ...
Ähnlich auch die Basler Fasnacht (auch allemanischen Ursprungs), die zudem meistens später, 2023 jedoch nicht (19.02.-21.02.2023), stattfindet.
LG jogi
Beautiful costumes!!!! Happy for you all.
Dankeschön!
"Scary" costumes are more a thing in the Southern carnival ("Fasnet" etc.) around Alamannia (Alemannia), a historic region in southwest Germany and northern Switzerland. Those festivals and regional events, often more or less around the "official" carnival, are to cast out the winter. No idea why winter should be scared, but well, it's fun anyway.. ^^
Yes! We learned about those traditions when we studied the origins of Halloween in another video. And how it goes back to the Celts who had ceremonies for the Winter Solstice to ward away evil spirits and then again in February to scare away winter. They were so scared of the winter because they would struggle with starvation, cold and sickness. It’s really fascinating to me how so much has changed since Celtic times, however we are still celebrating their traditions and holidays.
I'm glad you had a great time in my home town!
We really did! It was amazing!
29:00 - St. Maria im Kapitol, built by the Romans in the 11th century? Probably not. In my opinion, it is more like an 11th-century Romanesque church. Nevertheless, it is true that it was built in the place where (around the 1st century AD) a Roman temple stood (this one was certainly built by the ancient Romans). Summing up, it should rather be concluded that the church was built not by the Romans, but rather by Roman Catholics. :) Nevertheless, I liked your video so much. Warm and cordial greetings. All the best.
Ah yes, thanks for that correction.
Great and entertaining Video! :)
A small note or correction 26:52. Ulm Minster was never a cathedral. A cathedral is a church where a bishop resides. That was never the case in Ulm. Siegsdorf Alaaf. 🥳🤡
Ah okay, good to know!
Welcome to Köllefornia ❤️
Love it!
Tolles Video!Köln hat ein historisches Erbe!❤️
Ich finde es interessant, dass Amerikaner immer Könige und Königinnen sein wollen...🤔
Yeah I guess, we are fascinated by royalty and castles because we've never experienced them in our own culture, like all Europeans have.
Klingt vernünftig
❤❤❤
My home town 🎉🎉🎉
Imagine having this every year ❤
How was it having it every year?
I hope UA-cam translates this because I can’t remember every word 😂🤪
Es ist absolut fantastisch!
Wenn man so aufwächst, mit dem Gefühl des Zusammenseins, zu feiern, Kamelle natürlich (Kölsches Wort für Bonbons 😂), sich verkleiden können beziehungsweise für ein paar Tage verrückt zu sein ohne seltsam angesehen zu werden, sich verkleiden können, als das, was man gerne wäre oder was man toll findet
Es ist einfach nur super
Die letzten 2 Jahre sind leider keine Karnevalszüge gelaufen, wegen Corona, deswegen war dieses Jahr noch einmal mehr besonders ❤️🙏
Karneval ist einfach die tollste „Jahreszeit“ 😄
(Wir hoffen nur immer noch, dass es doch irgendwann in den Sommer verlegt wird, so muss man nicht ständig eine Nummer größer in den Kostümen kaufen, damit noch eine Jacke drunter passt etc)
O ha! Als Norddeutscher wird mir da ganz unwohl bei… 😅
You obviously had a lot of fun in Köln! I think I was never there on the Rosenmontag. I live only 80km away from Köln. Wäre schön Euch mal zu treffen oder in Bayern zu besuchen. Ihr wohnt ja in einer tollen Gegend! Viele Grüße aus dem Westerwald (a low mountain range near Koblenz and Bonn).
Yeah it was so much fun!
16:13 Your husband has the same crown as a very well-known UA-camr from Germany named KNOSSI :)
What I would be interested in: As you know the mentality and 'way of life' in Germany changes from region to region or even from village to village. Were you able to experience that on your trip (besides seeing so many drunk, costumed people of course)? What would you say are the differences between Bavaria and the Cologne-region when it comes to culture, language and that kind of things.
I myself was born in Ostwestfalen and although Cologne and Düsseldorf are in the same Bundesland as Bielefeld, Karneval feels SOOO weird and other-wordly to me (not the biggest fan, tbh).
I am happy to see you all had a great time!
Hi Greta! That’s a great question and, to be honest, the city is so different during Karneval that we really don’t know what the culture and people are like the rest of the year. However, I will say that the restaurant and hotel staff were so very friendly and nice. We got a very good impression!
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLifeThe people calling themselves Rheinländer are like really open and often still direct. I'm from Bonn (former capital from 1949-1990 and than from 1990-1999) and here Carnival is also really present and as a kid and younger adult I loved the being outside, dressed up and getting candies. Maybe you can visit Cologne and also Bonn in the non-Carnival Time as both cities are kinda interesting too.
So yeah, hope you had a great time in Cologne.
P.S. I like you "forcing" your children to watch cathedrals and churches. As a kid I didn't like it either but like when you know more about history I started to love cathedrals/churches (for the architecture mostly), so when I go to a foreign city I always try to get in a few cathedrals/churches.
Yes, Karneval in Köln is actually about drinking / binging and hearing Schlager music!
I hope you had fun as a family nevertheless! :(
No, it's not. Not for us locals anyways, more for many of the tourists and people in the city.
Frage mal ein Deutschen was ein Messi ist 😅 or Google it in german.
You met your German friend for life!
Oh right! 😍
I sure hope so. 😍
Alaaf is an old revolutionary battle cry when the citizens of cologne revolted and drove their aristocratic overlord (the archbishop) out of the city walls and became a by patrons run free imperial city (hence the palace of the archbishop is in nearby Bonn (today it's the university)).
Street carnival starts out with the Jecken (the crazy ones/ jesters) "storming" with the city-soldiers the military barracks and besieging the City-Hall until the major capitulates and hands over the keys to the city to the Jecken.
On Weiberdonnerstag (wife-thursday) the women also take over the men and cut off their ties with scissors.
Carnival is where the world and its traditional order stands on its head and everyone is equal (as everyone is maskeraded)
Another aspect which due to Corona is currently absent is "Bützen", kissing (not the side kisses but actual kisses) everyone you meet
Some (not so) boring history. Prior to the Napoleonic wars the Rhine area consisted of many more or less smaller dukedoms and three powerful arch-dioceses that were not only clergical but powerful member-states of the Holy Roman Empire (Trier, Mainz and Cologne). Then the tide of history turned against them. France annexed the land west of the Rhine, making Cologne a French city. After Napoleon's defeat the European powers came together in Vienna to draft an order for Europe according to their interests and to check the French. The archbishops of Cologne, Mainz and Trier did not get their secular political power back, and the smaller dukedoms in the area were not restored. The Rhineland was handed over to the Prussians. The protestant Prussians with all their correct bureauracy and organisation may not have been as bad as their reputation is or later became, but they were strangers to the catholic and jovial Rhinelanders. As a result the Prussian bureaucracy and their military became the subject of public ridicule that went into the carnival parades and the carnival societies. Their biggest festivity (which is broadcast on TV) is a mock version of a General Annual Meeting of a strictly organised society. And the carnival guards in Cologne are caricutures of an army as it was dressed and armed in around 1800. When Prussia was dissolved by the allied powers after 1945 its western provinces became the Länder of Northrhine-Westfalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxonia.
I've hated carnivals since I was a kid. Three years in a row I was hit in the head by a 300-gram bar of Milka chocolate, and it hurt so much that I went home crying like a baby.
Then, as a teenager, I saw I.T. and my fear of clowns was born.
Düsseldorf, Köln and Mainz are the Main Hot Spots of Carnival in Germany 🇩🇪
Kamelle isn't Kölsch, that's used even her at the border to Westfalia nad as faras I know even down to the border to Belgium & Netherlands, unlike the actual dialect.
After the parade, our work kitchen was always ful lwith unwanted stuff people had caught. But now we changed to desk sharing, that sadly is no longer a thing.
Edit: Pretty sure teh Romans built no church in 1100. That typo is hard to overlook.
I wouldn't have translate "närrische Tage" with crazy days. It more like jester days or silly days. Crazy is a word much to serious for the occasion.
I actually didn’t translate it - it’s called crazy days on many different websites, even Deutsche Welle. So I got it from there. But it did feel more fun than crazy, so I get what you’re saying. 😊
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife I am amazed I consider it an intermediate translation. Now I am asking myself if I am missing something or them.
I mean crazy is used as slur for mental health conditions and I try not to use it for normal behavior like being silly/having fun in a very organized German way.
And "Narr" is translated as jester, would you describe a jester doing crazy things or better silly things.
But maybe they think silly is not formal enough for parades with partly political sarcasm on it.
Still left wondering.
Anyway great that you explore all of German culture.
@@emilwandel There is a local horse shop called Pferde-Narr and I've heard that it is not translated "horse crazy" even though we Americans would certainly be fine with that word. "Horse silly" doesn't make sense.
@@LythaWausW, there are so many translation and word specific nuances in both languages. I think a more nuanced translation would be Horse Fool. Yes, German is not an easy language to learn even though we do have lots of words in common. It's the pronunciation that throws non-native speakers off, and the grammar can be very confusing. Don't give up, just try your best. 😊
Not a Jeck, but love the Cologne Cathedral. In particular the bell, the "Dicker Pitter". It is impressive. Hearing it ringing gives me goosebumps.
In Cologne there is also the roman-germanic museum that has the relationship between our barbaric ancestors and the Romans in the ancient world as a theme. I think you guys would love that.
@My Merry Messy German Life could you do a video about taking a 23&me dna test to see if you have any German dna or not.
I too, prefer the Sunday schul u. Veedelszoch over the Rose Monday Parade.
I don't know how it's organized in Cologne, but I remember a saying from my native Mainz. The last band of the parade are the garbage collectors and the last floats are the street cleaners. We lived right at the parade way, and you could literally watch them follow the tail of the parade half an hour later, and the next day, there was hardly anything left in town that reminded of the parade.
When I was a kid, they basically only threw bonbons. But that has changed, since much of what they throw nowadays is more like paid advertising "donated" by local businesses. Seems to be the same in Cologne.
No, it's called: "Altweiberfastnacht" for the better.
😀😀😀
KÖLLE ALAAF ! ! ! !