Thecarnivalis one of the most popular festivals in Germany. Today it is known for its costumes, but the carnival season has a deeper meaning, the origin of which is not agreed upon today. We would like to provide you with some theories as well as various interesting facts and ideas on this topic in this article. This time you will be particularly well prepared for the sociable and humorous celebration and can enjoy it to the fullest.
What is Carnival?
As already mentioned, there are various theories about the origin of the festival. Some theories say that it was originally a pagan festival to celebrate the end of winter and scare it away with costumes. The aim was to use up the remaining food that had been stored for the winter. Otherwise you would risk them spoiling during the following Lent. Since the Christians imposed their faith on other peoples but failed to ban their own folk festivals, they had no choice but to take advantage of this festival. For this reason, the carnival festival is also celebrated by Christians. The carnival season was intended to have an educational background and to show the people for a short period of time what life would be like if the devil and people ruled instead of God.
Carnival – meaning of the word
Carnival is derived from the word “Fastenschank”. This word means the last serving of alcohol before Lent, during which all alcohol and the consumption of meat are strictly forbidden. Depending on the region, there are also other names for the carnival festival. While this term is common for East Germany, Austria and the south of Germany, in Cologne and the surrounding area the festival is called “Carnival”. This word comes from Latin (“carne” and “vale”) and means “farewell to meat”. This name is also an allusion to the coming Lent. However, there is no complete agreement on this translation either. Another theory is that Carnival is made up of the words “carne” and “valere”. In this case, carnival would be translated as “flesh to rule”. It follows from this that one does not say goodbye to meat, but rather celebrates the time in which meat is still permitted. Some regions in southern Germany simply refer to Carnival as “Fastnacht”, i.e. the last evening before Lent, which is called Ash Wednesday.
When is Carnival?
Like Easter, Carnival falls on a different date every year. This is because Carnival depends on Easter and the associated fasting period, and Easter is determined by the first full moon of spring. The carnival season officially begins on November 11th every year. at exactly 11:11 a.m. The real celebration with costumes and everything around it takes place between Thursday and Carnival on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, i.e. the 46th day before Easter, on which the six-week Lent period begins.
The carnival in Venice
The Venetian carnival is an impressive spectacle. You've probably seen pictures of this festival before. The carnival used to start on January 6th and end, as in Germany, on Ash Wednesday. Nowadays the festival is no longer celebrated for quite as long. However, there is no lack of pomp and magnificent costumes, which also include the well-known masks. These were intended to give those in disguise a certain degree of anonymity. This meant that everyone could do what they otherwise wouldn't do without being recognized. The tradition of carnival can be traced back to the 12th century. However, when Venice became part of Austria from 1797 to 1867, the festival lost popularity. What's interesting is that the carnival only regained this when the film “Casanova” was released in cinemas. It was not until 1976, over 100 years later, that the Venetian carnival regained its popularity and today delights numerous tourists.
Diverse costumes
The disguise is also a big keyword for the German carnival festival, which is great fun not only for children but also for adults. There are endless carnival ideas in relation to this. The main character is usually the jester or clown. The carnival and fancy dress costume can have any theme. Costumes from the animal world, fairy tales and myths, heroes and well-known personalities from history are suitable. Very popular costumes for carnival are, for example, Indians, cowboys, knights or hippies and even Mexicans. Popular men's costumes for carnival are the pirate or clown, but these can also be chosen for both genders. Popular carnival costumes for women include the mermaid, Cleopatra, the pirate or sailor, while both women and children like to dress up as cats.
Carnival for children
Since children love carnival no less, a costume for the little ones should also be thought of in good time. You have the choice between classic variants and more unusual ones. Superhero carnival costumes are very popular with boys, as well as Vikings and the impressive ninja. But animals such as the wolf, the lion, the dog, the zebra or the frog are also often chosen. The most popular superheroes today still include Batman, Superman, Ironman and Spiderman, but the cowboy is also a great variant at carnival. Carnival for girls is usually organized differently. Although many girls also choose typical boy costumes, the princess, the angel, the bee, the mouse, the ladybug, the classic Pippi Longstocking or the witch are usually the first choice for carnival. You can create a fairy costume with a tutu for carnival. Since carnival is also celebrated in kindergarten, you should come up with something interesting. To ensure that the children's costumes are not repeated there, you are welcome to coordinate with the other parents or the kindergarten teacher. Maybe the festival takes place there under a certain motto. Then you should be prepared for it.
Choose animal costumes and fairy tale costumes for carnival
Feel free to dress up for carnival based on a specific theme. Fairy tales are very suitable. Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood are just two of the many possible variations. In addition to the classic fairy tales, you can also choose one of the more modern ones. For example, the characters from Rapunzel and Frozen are very popular, and not just with children. The witch for carnival is also a classic. In keeping with this theme, boys or men can also dress up as a prince or an animal from fairy tales. The wolf is again suitable, but also the bear costume for carnival. The devil does not come directly from a fairy tale. However, it is also one of the most popular costume ideas, which even fits in with the original meaning of carnival among Christians. For the devil for carnival, use horns, a tail and lots of red paint and don't forget the trident. So as you can see, scary costumes are also good for carnival. For this reason, some ideas for Halloween can also be used to create unique carnival costumes.
Dress up toddlers and babies
Don't forget the baby at Carnival! Even for this, there are a variety of costume ideas that you can combine with your own. Buy a suitable baby costume or make one yourself. Your baby is guaranteed to look incredibly cute and attract everyone's attention. However, you should carefully assess how much time the baby should spend at the carnival festival. The costumes are usually nice and thick and keep you warm. But they can also keep you too warm in closed rooms. In addition, babies need a lot of rest.
Partner costumes for carnival
Couple costumes for carnival are also a wonderful idea for lovers or best friends. With ideas like these you can bring people's mood to a higher level and put a smile on other people's faces. And after all, a good mood is the be-all and end-all at carnival. What's more, it's clear to everyone that you two belong together. For families, the group costume is again suitable for carnival. The costumes of all family members should be related to each other. Heroes from films such as the Minions, for example, the seven dwarves, the Adama family and so on are suitable. Come up with something creative and look for the right costumes or try to design them yourself.
Make your own costumes for carnival
You can easily put together a simple carnival costume yourself. Complicated sewing and crafting instructions are not always necessary. You can quickly make interesting costumes for carnival, especially for little ones. And if you have a little experience with a sewing machine, even better! Toilet paper rolls are suitable for a quick disguise for carnival. This is how you get a funny mummy. Or you can use a sheet to create a ghost. Simple t-shirts are also great for redesigning and can be used to create simple, partner or group costumes. Let your imagination run wild. You will quickly notice that you can easily do a variety of things yourself and save a lot of money in the process.
Carnival accessories
If you make the carnival costume yourself, it must of course also be equipped with the right accessories. Depending on the costume, this includes masks, magic wands, crowns, ears or wigs for carnival. To make carnival masks, you can use paper as well as plaster or papier-mâché. Felt is very easy to work with, making it a popular craft material for a wide variety of things. The same applies to the eye mask for carnival. The difference between the two is that the eye mask, as the name suggests, only covers the eyes. Zorro's mask, for example, is an eye mask. The usual mask, in turn, covers the entire face and is perfect for better portraying certain figures.
Animal costumes
Animal costumes can, among other things, be equipped with a mask. Paper mache but also paper are well suited for making rabbit ears, cat ears or other animal ears. Another quick and cheap trick is to use pipe cleaners or plush wire. This is not only suitable for ears but also for a carnival crown or a tiara. Make fairy wings from any fabric or foil and use feathers for angel wings. Contact lenses for carnival can also prove to be very useful when it comes to putting the finishing touches to your costume. However, this accessory is only suitable for adults.
Carnival make-up
Especially if the costume does not include a mask, make-up is an important element of the entire costume. Many costumes do not require any special make-up, but can still be made more interesting with a few accents. Make-up tips for carnival are a useful thing here. Make the cat costume more impressive by making up the face like a cat for carnival or add some glitter to the little fairy. A cowboy or dwarf can have a beard; a pirate looks very good with a mustache. If you don't have an artificial beard available, you can also dress it up with make-up for carnival. Face painting is particularly fun for the little ones. You are particularly proud of the end result the more it resembles the original. In an adult costume, makeup is no less important. There are many ways to use household items when doing face make-up, which is particularly beneficial for last-minute costumes.
Carnival party
If you have decided to throw a private party and invite friends and relatives, you need to think about the right carnival decorations. You can make the carnival decorations and make them particularly unique or you can buy ready-made garlands, lanterns, confetti, party hats, horns and other things to make it easier for yourself. However, before you look for and implement various craft ideas for carnival, you can think about whether your carnival party should have a theme. Some interesting ideas are the circus, the underwater world, the Stone Age, rock'n'roll or the 80s. The guests should of course dress up according to the theme while you take care of the appropriate decorations.
Decorate for carnival
You'll be amazed at how fun the party can be with a specific theme. This also makes it easier for guests to choose their costume. To ensure that the costumes are not repeated here, you can put together a list of possible variations and discuss them with the guests. You can make various decorations for the carnival party with the children. But not only decorations are possible. How about making masks or hats for your guests for carnival? Let your imagination run wild, because that's what carnival is all about - just being crazy. Find great recipes for the carnival party and also create a cheerful carnival table decoration to make the meal a particularly fun affair. Prepare pomegranates, cupcakes and other colorful desserts. To really guarantee the fun, you can also come up with some fun games.
