The Alemannische Fasnet - Alemannic carnival celebrations

With Fasnacht (or Fasnet), on the 6th January, the Swabian-Alemannic carnival begins. The Häs, which are the traditional costumes of the carnival revellers, are dusted off on this day. The heyday of the Fasnet begins with the Schmutziger Donnerstag which means literally dirty Thursday, and consists of six days of crazy and mad activity on the streets of the Black Forest communities!

The whole spectacle ends, just as it does in the Rhine River area, on Aschermittwoch (Ash Wednesday), the first day of the season of Lenten. However, there are still some relics of the former carnival to be found in the Swabian-Alemannic carnival: The Buurefasnacht carnival in Weil am Rhein and Sulzburg lasts until the end of the first week of the Lenten season. And so, if you want, you can go on celebrating after Ash Wednesday on Fastensonntag in Weil am Rhein.

In nearby Switzerland, the “Basler Morgenstraich”, which means “morning prank”, happens in Basle. The prank begins at 4.00 o’clock on Monday morning. Subsequently, there are three days of hustle and bustle at the Basler Fasnacht which is the Basle carnival: 12,000 masked carnival revellers, more than 500 carnival groups, a good 60 Guggenmusiken - oompah music groups - with 2,000 musicians entertain more than 200,000 spectators over 72 hours in Basle.