How To Stay Young? Enjoy Fasnacht!
- Marie
- Mar 17, 2014
- 2 min read
Last week I mentioned the celebration of Fasnacht, a yearly carnival which is seen as Switzerland’s most popular celebration. From 4:00am on the Monday after Ash Wednesday until 4:00am on Thursday, the streets of Basel teem with up to 20,000 masked participants who play the flute, drums, trumpets, trombones, and other percussions. Others walk around carrying outrageous lanterns or pull ornately-decorated floats. Confetti, locally known as Räpelli fill every square inch of the city center. Giant floats which are built according to a pre-discussed theme, roam through the main roads. In it are Waggis (traditional Fasnacht masked characters bearing huge heads, oversized clothes and wooden clogs) who throw oranges, candy, Mimosa, and other goodies to the crowds.
On Wednesday afternoon last week, I went on my own to one of the main bridges in Basel and joined the throngs of people to watch the parade go by. I made plans to meet up with some friends, but it wasn’t until almost two hours later that we found each other. Not to miss out on the chaotic fun, I stationed myself in the middle lane of the bridge. On either side of me, floats and bands passed by. Like a kid, I screamed and shouted “Waggis!” (you have to, if you want any goodies thrown your way), and successfully collected candy to last me until next year, flowers to spruce up our apartment, and oranges to make freshly squeezed juice for several mornings to come.
Wary of Waggis: Careful, these Waggis will give you Mimosas when you ask for some, but they may also stuff your collar with Räppli (confetti).
In the beginning, my friend Jöelle brushed off every confetti flake that landed on her. In the end, she didn’t care.
Cheers! Apart from the regular oranges, flowers, and candy, some of us got some liquor.
Glorious Gold: This group represented Switzerland’s Winter Olympics gold medalists. These guys skied in 16 degree weather—confetti was their snow!
This is my float! If you look closely, the clique behind me was started in 1974: the year I was born! The Waggis on this float also gave me this little toy, which thrilled me to bits; I felt like I was 4, not 40!
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