Fifth season

And again "Helaua", and again "Alaf". At 11 hours and 11 minutes in Germany, the carnival season.

Silence of cold morning Eleventh November ripped a stunning drum rumble. At 11 o’clock 11 minutes in one Cologne on the opening of the carnival season in the historic center of the city there were about 30 thousand costume "Yekov" (Jecken), as they call here active participants of this traditional national holiday. By noon on the main square crowded and pushed, sang and laughed so much "Lesshe", "Shutov" and "buffoons", that the police had to block access to the epicenter of the carnival festivities. The remaining "behind the fence" Costumed public, however, are not missed. The fun went into garlands decorated bars and restaurants whose owners have cleaned beforehand in the back room all the valuable and fragile items; outdoors, where the roar of the fortified on the roofs of passing cars here and there shook even the walls of Romanesque churches; and in queues at the entrances to traditional German beer where inexhaustible stream poured into glasses main carnival drink – Cologne called word "Kölsh".

Cologne and without "Viola" good

"Smile, everything will be fine!" – the motto of this year celebrate carnival in the unofficial capital of the national holiday. "We always come to Cologne. Dyusseldorftsy do not know how," – tell "clowns" from Dormagen, located at equal distance from competing with each other not only in the carnival season the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia and the city with the famous cathedral Germany – Düsseldorf and Cologne respectively. "It is a pity that there is in Cologne "Viola"," – adds one of the "yekov". Dark and a strong beer "Altbier" drink only in Düsseldorf and the surrounding area.

In a reminder of the traditions of the Rhine carnival in Mainz was read "buffoonery constitution", which among other things requires the participants of a holiday dress, and issued a call to observe "freedom of buffoonery", and do not forget that the Carnival – "it’s all the same game", and to treat it should be with humor. As the old carnival wisdom, "who believes life buffoonery, he will be able to laugh", if too seriously looking at the world, the reasons for joy will not be.

Berlin is learning to walk in the Rhineland

Carnival celebrations were held today, not only in the cities of the Rhine in Germany, but also in the east. In Berlin "clowns" They stormed the town hall, and the city treasury and the key to it. proclaiming of masked "Prince and Princess" new "rulers" capital Mayor Karin Schubert proudly stated: "We, the Berliners have long been capable of that on the Rhine can be during carnival".

The culmination of the street carnival celebrations falls on February, when, during one week the Rhine city of Germany will again be at the mercy of masked and jesters. And while on the waiting list – Carnival "meetings". 569 – only one in Cologne.