Status: December 25, 2021 3:59 p.m.
Carnival in summer? This proposal by Health Minister Lauterbach is met with strong criticism among Cologne carnivalists: The politician should get out of the “talk show mode”, they write in a letter – and demand clear guidelines.
After statements about a possible postponement of the carnival into summer, Cologne’s carnivalists have sharply criticized Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. “It’s a shame how little you, as a Rhinelander, know about the carnival. Otherwise you wouldn’t publicly wish for the carnival activities to be postponed to the summer,” wrote Christoph Kuckelkorn, President of the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee, in an open letter to Düren in the Rhineland born SPD politician.
The carnival is more than just a celebration at any price and rather an important cultural asset that is worth preserving, Kuckelkorn continued.
The carnival is a festival in the annual cycle like Christmas or Easter. Nobody would seriously demand that all Christmas celebrations from the Christmas market to Christmas mass to family get-togethers should be postponed to summer – not even in times of pandemic.
“I would prefer a summer carnival”
Lauterbach had the carnivalist on Thursday in the WDR made little hope of a normal season. “I cannot imagine that we can hold the carnival. And it is not a good carnival either,” he said and pointed out: “What kind of carnival is it where you try to be happy, but where it always is is associated with the risk of infecting yourself or others and then possibly having to reckon with a serious illness? ”
At the same time, the doctor suggested that the foolish activities should be shifted to the warm season because of the impending omicron wave. “I would actually prefer a summer carnival, which then takes place under safe conditions, than trying to navigate our way through here and endanger ourselves.”
“As if carnivalists were incorrigible corona deniers”
The Rhenish carnival is “rightly” recognized as an intangible cultural asset of the Federal Republic, countered Kuckelkorn now – “because our customs consist of much more than wild parties and rampant alcohol consumption”. It is completely undisputed that this does not fit the pandemic situation. “But the carnival also gives people hope and confidence.”
The letter went on to say that “we do not want to celebrate at any price.” The protection of health comes first – the carnivalists have proven this several times in the past few months. And also in the current session, the clubs took responsibility and voluntarily canceled their carnival sessions. The organized carnival is not trying to “navigate through” it. Rather, the clubs tried to “provide orientation where politics unfortunately failed to formulate clear rules”. The first vaccination campaigns were started in the summer to convince as many people as possible to vaccinate. 11/11 I voluntarily made 2G mandatory long before government agencies made it mandatory.
Lauterbach ignored this and lumped “pictures from a party mile on November 11th, which has nothing to do with carnival, with excellently organized voluntary events in the city center”, criticized Kuckelkorn. The minister pretends “as if all Cologne carnivalists were unteachable corona deniers” – you don’t. “We only expect a respectful treatment of the intangible cultural heritage of the Rhenish Carnival, and we expect clear, legally binding guidelines from the government instead of moral appeals that lead our clubs straight to bankruptcy. If a voluntary cancellation occurs, artists, hall operators and other service providers must of course be compensated. ” Lauterbach should get out of his “talk show mode” and act like a minister.
Lauterbach reacts via Twitter
The minister has already responded to the criticism and wrote on Twitter: “The carnival in Cologne is very important to me too. Especially the life of the celebrants. The clubs must be able to plan. We expect such a massive Omicron wave that the carnival will fall under the planned 2G Conditions is probably not safe enough. “
Kuckelkorn also noted that according to a study, the added value of the carnival in Cologne alone is 600 million euros per year. “Carnival societies receive the smallest share of this, but without the meetings, balls and carnival parades they organize, hotels and pubs, taxi drivers and waiters, hairdressers and specialist costume shops also have no sales in the carnival.”
Kuckelkorn invited the minister to a meeting at the Carnival Museum in Cologne. There one should talk “as soon as possible” about perspectives for voluntary associations, artists and other affected persons. “Because in the second year of the pandemic, the topic of carnival has literally become a serious matter for many people”