Here in Neckargemünd, festivities began with 'Schmutziger Donnerstag' or 'Dirty Thursday', which meant lots of people wearing ridiculous costumes descending on the Banngartenhalle for a party. On Friday, the school got into holiday mode too, with a Fasching disco and many students choosing to attend school in fancy dress. Celebrations were boosted by the knowledde that it was also the last day of school for us here in Germany, as half term falls a week later than in England.
Today was the parade in Neckargemünd, and I went along with a few people from work, enjoying a glass of sparkling wine and taking lots of pictures whilst the many floats made their way past us in Neckargemünd Marktplatz. Here are just a few of them:
As you can see, some of the costumes were amazing, and lots of time and money is spent on making sure the parade is a success. I noticed that people really get into the spirit of the celebrations here, more so than I think people do in England, and it really made it a lot of fun, especially for me as I've never seen a Fasching parade before. One of the best parts of the parade is that nearly every group gives out free stuff to the crowds as they pass. People literally take extra carrier bags with them to collect the free sweets and popcorn that are thrown from the floats. I managed to collect quite a decent amount myself...
It's not just sweets either. Lots of the floats (in particular those representing local sports teams...) were passing out free shots and jelly shots too. It must cost them an absolute fortune, and it makes for an interesting atmosphere when people are standing doing shots at two in the afternoon in the normally quiet old marketplace in front of the church. I also managed to bag these free sunglasses, which were completely new with the label on!
Now all I need is some sunshine...
Happy holidays everyone!
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