In Cologne Karneval time
is so important that it has been named as the fifth ‘season’, kicking off
with a whirlwind day of costumed alcohol consumption on 11th
November (‘Elfter Elfter’) and
culminating in a six-day party extravaganza in February. This is no tourist
event or youth rebellion; here the overwhelmingly native German crowd brings
together the fresh-faced, newly legal drinker and the veteran Karneval-goer in
a mass of crazy, ridiculous, and often entirely impractical outfits in order to
celebrate… well I have no idea what actually, perhaps beer? Or the quashing of
the German stiff ‘n’ sensible stereotype? Certainly watching my boyfriend flail
his arms around gaily whilst dressed in a ghastly old blue wetsuit and entirely
random mullet wig made me stop and think – we were wrong all along; the
Germans DO have a sense of humour, we just don’t get it!*
