Snap, snap, the tie is off!
As a precaution, men in the carnival strongholds rummage the oldest ties out of the chest of drawers this Thursday – the women’s carnival 2023 begins at 11.11 a.m. and with it the crazy days of the street carnival.
What is traditionally done at Weiberfastnacht? Where does the custom of women’s carnival come from? Here is all the information.
When is women’s carnival?
The women’s carnival takes place every year on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday.
This year, the Weiberfastnacht takes place on Thursday, February 16, 2023. Traditional starts the fifth season that day at exactly 11:11 a.m.
What happens on Weiberfastnacht?
As a sign that the fools are serious, town halls will be stormed in many places on Weiberfastnacht 2023 and men’s ties will be cut with scissors. A symbol that women now have the (carnival) power. After cutting off comes reconciliation: a big kiss.
Depending on the region, this day has its own name. In Swabia, the Weiberfastnacht is also called Lumpiger Thursday or Gumpiger Thursday. The term women’s carnival comes from the Rhineland, in Kölsch the day is called “Wieverfastelovend”. Fat Thursday is celebrated in the Aachen area and Heavy Thursday in Koblenz.
Now it’s the ladies’ turn: women dressed up as clowns in Cologne
Where does the custom of women’s carnival come from?
The first women to have a particularly good time during carnival lived in monasteries. In the 18th century, nuns are said to have enjoyed everything that was forbidden to them: tea, coffee, wine and chocolate. Dancing during the day and playing cards at night.
The Beuel district of Bonn is considered the cradle of the modern women’s carnival: As early as 1824, the laundresses there started the custom of putting the men through their paces once a year, since they otherwise showed them little appreciation for their work. Strict gender roles were questioned: wives refused to obey their husbands for a day in the “upside-down world” of carnival.
In 1957 the town hall in Beuel was stormed for the first time. This custom spread throughout the country over the years.
Is Weiberfastnacht a Public Holiday?
The women’s carnival is not a public holiday. In the Rhineland, however, this Thursday is an unofficial holiday, and in many places people stop working after midday.
But before you don’t go to work or school on the day of Weiberfastnacht, find out about the exact rules of your institution.
German carnival is to become a UNESCO cultural heritage
The Rhenish Carnival, the Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht and the Fools’ Court in Grosselfingen are already included in the nationwide list of intangible cultural heritage of the German UNESCO Commission.
In 2022 it was announced that international steps would also be taken to protect the customs. In October 2023, a decision is to be made in the Conference of Ministers of Culture as to whether the application of the carnival is forwarded to UNESCO.