With cries of “Alaaf” and “Helau,” tens of thousands of revelers in the Rhineland’s carnival strongholds marked the start of the street carnival season on Thursday. At precisely 11:11 a.m., the height of the festivities began in cities including Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz with Weiberfastnacht, the traditional Women’s Carnival Day. In Cologne and Düsseldorf alone, hundreds of thousands of costumed celebrants are expected to take part in the coming days.
Police were deployed in large numbers across the region. Initially, there were no reports of any incidents. In Cologne, the ceremonial triumvirate of the Prince, the Peasant, and the Maiden symbolically took over control of the cathedral city until Ash Wednesday.
In Düsseldorf and other cities, the traditional storming of town halls by the “Möhnen,” or carnival women, took place. On Weiberfastnacht, carnival clubs in many places symbolically seize control of municipal buildings. In Mainz, large crowds gathered on Schillerplatz in the state capital of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Numerous women’s carnival sessions are also traditionally held on this day. A customary practice sees women cutting off men’s ties. The highlight of the street carnival will be the Rose Monday parades next Monday, before the colorful celebrations come to an end on Ash Wednesday.
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