Each year, for some German regions, the Carnival (Fasching or Fastnacht) season begins exactly at 11:11 a.m. on November 11, while in other areas it begins on January 7. The season ends on Ash Wednesday, March 1 in 2006. The date it ends changes yearly. Ash Wednesday was February 9 in 2005 and will be February 21 in 2007.
Many Southern German cities noisily ring in the Carnival season, and for many Germans it is the beginning of a host of parties before Lent, the time of fasting. Northern Germans have mostly lost the taste for Carnival, so one hears little of parties or parades and anyone walking around in a costume would be made fun of.
Germany has many dialects that are not understood from region to region. Even city dwellers may not be able to understand the dialect of the closest villages. Therefore, there may be many different names for a festival. People who speak high or elegant German, including those from the Rhineland and North Germany, call this festival Carnival, while the country folk in the southwest region of Germany call it Fasching or Fasnet. City dwellers in the south might call it Fastnacht (night of the fast).
Rumor has it that the word carnival was actually derived from the Roman pre-Christian Latin word "carrus navalis"—which has different translations, such as the ship of fools or a cart carrying a statue of the god Apollo in a parade. Some say it was derived from the medieval word "carnem levare," meaning "no meat"—since people were to abstain from eating meat at certain times.
Each region celebrates Carnival a little differently, but traditions seem better preserved in the countryside. In the backyards of southern Germany, Austria, the Alps, and the Black Forest and in the German-speaking areas of Switzerland, Fastnacht has still retained some ancient traditions, coupled with pre-Lent activities. In the larger cities, with their melting pot of people from different cultures and backgrounds, Carnival has lost the true nature of the season.
Carnival seasons usually host a number of local parades. Many people wear wooden masks and beautifully ornate costumes that have been handed down through many generations. The masks may be beautiful or misshapen; some masks may have human features, while others represent different animals, mythological figures or something the mind conjured up. Schwabians may wear the ugliest masks one can imagine, so as to scare the evil into running as fast and as far away as possible. Others wear masks to hide their identity in the hope to leave behind, even for just a few hours, everyday problems and anxieties.
There is no special food for Fastnacht, beyond the local delicacies being served. However, many mothers fry Fastnachkuechles—which look similar to donuts but are hollow inside— in big pots of boiling oil. Children can't wait to get home from school to stuff themselves with what they consider a delicacy.
Whatever it's called and however it's celebrated, this German Carnival is a cultural experience to be enjoyed.