He actually always says the same thing here, says Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD). The last time he repeated the same words in this place was three years ago due to the corona. So now again: “It has not been scientifically proven that it works. But it has also not been proven that it is harmful.” So: open your wallet, pour in the water – and of course keep smiling for the cameras.
It is a famous superstition and a Munich tradition at the end of carnival: every year on Ash Wednesday, the city’s citizens rinse their wallets in the fish fountain on Marienplatz – but most recently in 2020. The ritual is intended to help the wallets to recover again soon fill with cash after the carnival celebrations have bled them dry.
Will it work? “We had to take a break for a few years. I don’t know how your wallets are doing, but I noticed it,” says Reiter to the hundreds of onlookers who crowded in front of the fountain on Wednesday afternoon. They certainly hadn’t just come to watch the mayor splash around in the water. The wagon with the seven kegs of free beer in the background may also have played its part.
Despite all the fun, Reiter also addresses serious issues. “Times haven’t gotten any easier,” he says, referring to the rising cost of living. That’s why we need some hope for fuller pockets right now.
The audience is crowded at the Fischbrunnen – was that because of the free beer or because of custom?
(Photo: Alessandra Schellnegger)
Incidentally, the custom dates back to the 15th century. At that time, the servants wanted to draw attention to the fact that their wallets were empty after the carnival. His private wallet is doing quite well, says Reiter. That’s why he wouldn’t have dipped his own into the water of the fish well, but the city’s. And he urgently needs a refill. According to Reiter, the city is planning major investments, for example in building housing and schools or in local public transport. “We have more imagination than money.” That is why large purses are also needed in the Free State and in the federal government.