Dressing up, eating doughnuts, and being a little crazy: Fasching, also known as carnival or Fastnacht elsewhere, is an excellent time to switch off a bit from the dreary daily routine and – at a certain age – let your inner child out into the fresh air.
What in Austria is mostly expressed by increased consumption of doughnuts, celebrated parades and peculiar suits, basically refers to the period before Ash Wednesday, when, for the sake of good old tradition, Lent begins: before fasting something we enjoy (usually certain foods and drinks), we consume as much of it as possible once again, so that we can then, after Good Friday, consume it again with a clear conscience.
This procedure (and also the surrounding) is supposed to train people first of all to learn to do without and to realize the value of the fast good. What peculiarities the carnival in its many different forms and colors brings with it elsewhere and what you should be prepared for in the Falkensteiner dream destinations, you can read here.
Italy
In Bella Italia, too, Carnival precedes Lent. In addition to traditional parades and festivities, which thanks to mild temperatures are preferably held in the open air, there are different customs from region to region.
The Venetian Carnival, for example, has achieved worldwide fame, with its often simple but, depending on taste, also elaborately decorated masks. The carnival in Ivrea, where the symbolized struggle of the population against the nobility is fought out with an orange battle, takes a different direction.
Czech Republic
In our neighbors in the Czech Republic, the carnival is known as “Masopust”. Here, too, during the forty-day period of Lent, the main focus is placed on celebrations and dance parties, which go by the name of “Šibřinky” and not infrequently end in a feast consisting of savory and sweet dishes.
Over the centuries, the last Thursday before Ash Wednesday has emerged as the high point: On this day, called “Fat Thursday”, families and friends get together to eat as much as possible to stay “strong” for the rest of the year.
Slovakia
In Slovakia, masks are also used for carnivals, which are supposed to reflect and parody society. Animal masks are particularly popular in Slovakia, but mythical creatures are also often copied in appearance.
The burying of a bass fiddle has emerged as a unique feature in Slovakia, where masked, singing groups move through the streets and villages during the week before Lent.
Croatia
The carnival season, which also begins in Croatia on January 6, ends on the night before Ash Wednesday with the burning of a carnival dummy: Here, symbolically, the vices of the previous year are to be set on fire and thus transported to the afterlife once and for all.
The largest carnival festival in the country is celebrated in the port city of Rijeka:
After the prince and princess are crowned and awarded the key to the town hall, children parade through the streets of the town. The subsequent climax takes the form of an international parade that heralds the beginning of Lent: from now on, fat, eggs, and meat are off the menus of those fasting.
Serbia
Carnival in Serbia does not have traditional roots: until the Second World War, the only celebration held here was in the town of Vrnjačka Banja to mark the founding of the town in 1868, which was closest to today’s festivities. This changed after the war and the increasing orientation towards the West.
After the festivities subsided again over the years, local organizations revived the carnival, and since then the “Vrnjački karneval” has been held annually on July 14 with participants from up to 40 countries, culminating in the climax of a carnival parade. Since then, Vrnjačka Banja has even become a member of the Federation of European Carnival Cities.
Helau, Alaaf and good luck
However, you celebrate, whatever you fast: It is always worthwhile to think outside the box for the different interpretations of carnival. And even if you don’t normally belong to the celebrating carnivals: Take a look at our dream destinations, there’s actually always something to celebrate here.
