NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Basler Fasnacht

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The Carnival of Basel (Basler Fasnacht) is the biggest carnival in Switzerland. It has recently been enlisted in the Top 50 Europe’s best local festivities. It takes place once a year between February and March.

The Waggis, a traditional carnival costume in Basel

Fasnacht

The Basler Fasnacht starts on Monday after Ash Wednesday at precisely 4:00 in the morning with the so called Morgestraich (see below). The carnival lasts for exactly 72 hours and therefore ends Thursday morning at 4:00am. In this time span the old town of Basel is ruled by the Fasnächtler (the participants), where they rally in the streets and restaurants. Basler Fasnacht is often referred to as "die drey scheenschte Dääg" (the three most beautiful days). In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. ...

Costume

Each of the approx. 18.000 active Fasnächtlers wears a costume including a Larve (a mask). Wearing a costume means not beeing known by the crowd and it's not appropriate to identify oneself. In the cliques they wear uniform costumes (except for Morgestraich and Fasnacht Tuesday) which fit a specific "Sujet" (see below). One will find a broad variety of coustume designs. Very often the masks are representing famous persons (polititians or the like), sometimes even comic charakters or animals. Of course there are also traditional masks that may remind of the french army of Napoleon, others called Harlekin or the famous Waggis. Yarkand ladies summer fashions. ... Masks in a Guatemalan Market A mask is a piece of material or kit worn on the face. ... Army (from French armÃ©e) can, in some countries, refer to any armed force. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ...

Cortège

The parades taking place on Monday and Wednesday afternoon are called Cortège. They follow two defined ring routes. A inner one running clockwise and the outer one going counter-clockwise (sometimes related to as the red and the blue route because of their colour representation on the route map).

Sujet

Most of the groups choose a Sujet (french: theme) for the Fasnacht. Usually they refer to comtemporary history which will be critised in a sarcastic way. One will see these Sujets during Cortège and (on laterns only) at Morgenstreich. Most of the Cliques will also give away a Zeedel (a Flyer with ironic verses).

Confetti

According to some local "historians" the trowing of confetti is a typical tradition from Basel and later spread to the rest of the world. There is no proof for this theory. Nevertheless, the amount of confetti used during Basler Fasnacht is huge compared with other carnivals. In the beginning confetti was used for sweets in the form of small sugar balls (from comfit, confection?), that where given away (or thown at the crowd) during the processions. This later was prohibited in the 19th century. As a replacement people started to use small sniplets of paper. (Until its ban in the second half of the 20th century it was also common to use straw instead of confetti). In the Basel-Swissgerman dialect confetti is called Räppli. As a spectator you have always to be alert not to be attacked from behind by a confetti trowing Waggis. However it is an unwritten law not to target any of the masked and/or costumed participants. On the other hand spectators not wearing a Blaggedde (Carneval badge, see below) are a favoured target.

In the evening, the routes of the Cortège are covered with confetti ankle-deep. It is always impressive how the sanitation department is able to remove all the paper in the mornings in less than two hours. Afterwards you will hardly notice any evidence of the last days event.

Groups

You will notice 5 major types of groups at Basler Fasnacht:

Clique

One of the oldest formations are the Cliques. They are marching through the old town playing piccolo flute and basler drum. A Clique usually consists of a Vortrab (vanguard), the Pfeifer (flutists, pipe?), the Tambourmajor (drum major) and the Tambouren (drummers). Exept on Cortège the Cliques do not follow fixed routes. It's therefore usual to cross the route of another Clique. In that case, one clique will stop and let the other Clique pass. Spectators on the other hand will be politely guided off the route by the Vortrab. A Yamaha piccolo. ... Different kinds of Basler drums The Basler drum is a kind of snare drum traditionally used in Switzerland for marching music. ...

Gugge (brass band)

You will also find marching bands on Basler Fasnacht called Guggenmusik. These formations will not participate on Morgesreich but only at Cortège on Monday, Wednesday, the evenings and especially on Tuesday Night where they hold their Gugge-Concerts.

Schnitzelbank

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Waage (truck)

Only on Cortège

Single Mask

Schäse (carriage)

Morgestraich

Morgestraich - Basler Fasnacht 2003

Gugge Concerts

A Gugge brass band

Children and Family Fasnacht

Latern Exhibition

in 2003 George W. Bush was a famous sujet on the laterns

Events around Fasnacht

Pre-Fasnacht events

Mimösli at the Häbsetheater
Offizielles Preistrommeln und -pfeifen
Pfyfferli at the Theater Fauteuil
Charivari in the Volkshaus
Räppli-Serenade in the Rheinpark (canceled since 2005)
Stubete in the Restaurant 'Atlantis'
Kinder-Charivari in the Theater Basel
Monstre-Trommelkonzert (aka "Drummeli") in the Messe Basel
Fasnachtsbändeli (for children and famalies), Theater Arlecchino
S Ridicule in the Helmut Förnbacher Theater Company at Badischer Bahnhof

Laternen einpfeifen

Kehrausball

Bummel Sunday

Organisation

Fasnacht in Numbers

Historical

Noteworthy

Weblinks

Basler Fasnacht Online (partly english)
[http:/http://www.fasnachts-comite.ch/english.html Fasnachts-Comité]
Dossier "Die Basler Fasnacht" at altbasel.ch (page in german)
Private picture gallery of the Morgenstraich and the monday Cortège 2006

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Basler Fasnacht

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