festivals
Everything is over on Ash Wednesday – carnival is over
The carnival figure Hoppeditz is on fire in Düsseldorf. photo
© Federico Gambarini/dpa
Started on time, finished on time: On Ash Wednesday, the carnival participants stopped swaying again and said goodbye until November 11th.
That’s it again: The Jecken met with sadness Ash Wednesday says goodbye to carnival. The people of Düsseldorf wept and lamented their Hoppeditz. After a funeral march, they burned the straw jester figure. But there is hope: on November 11th. the arch-rogue shall rise again.
The people of Cologne burned their Nubbel on Tuesday evening. The straw doll symbolically serves as a scapegoat for people’s crimes during carnival. During the foolish times, the Nubbel hung over the doors and counters of many pubs. Its burning traditionally marks the end of the carnival session.
Lent began on Ash Wednesday. According to Christian understanding, it lasts 40 days until Easter, not counting Sundays. During Ash Wednesday mass, a cross of ash is drawn on the forehead of Catholic believers to remind them of the transience of life.