In particular the Church fasting times determine the crazy calendar. That on Ash Wednesday, ‘everything’ is over, almost every child knows. But when starts really the Carnival (or the Carnival in the Rhineland is preferred) in Germany? At the 11.11 at 11 h 11 – or perhaps on the Monday? The answer is not entirely clear. In many places to the Carnival kicks off pre-Christmas fasting time on 11 November. One follows this up wing event but often weekly until months break or a phase of very low activity of Carnival. For Carnival-distant observer it looks so like Carnival expires immediately after its inception in a slumber.

The reason is the traditional pre-Christmas fasting period, previously wrote for the Catholic Church. And even the Carnival calendar is strongly determined by the Church commands of fasting. The fasting period before Christmas dauert(e) exactly 40 days, began on November 12 and ended on Christmas Eve. During this period, in particular the consumption of meat and alcohol was strictly forbidden. On This upcoming fasting prepared the people before, by them even once strong “received to the previous day, the 11th of November,”: the St. Martin’s goose or an exuberant Carnival celebration. Until the pre-Easter fasting in many areas, the Carnival from the Epiphany (6 January) takes a second attempt: from this date the number of events is increasing significantly.

In his final Sprint is the Carnival to the so-called Mardi. Now, in particular the street carnival where people even during bad weather conditions out there celebrating begins. This is also the time of many large and small offer. For these dates, Easter and the pre-Easter lent play a crucial role: the streamer is by definition always 48 days before Easter Sunday, the Mardi thus 52 days. In accordance with this rule, the earliest date for the Mardi is the January 29, the latest date of March of 4. And on Ash Wednesday, the Carnival glory is so over, because now a second Fasting period is: 40 days before Easter, except for the Sundays of the law of fasting. Jurgen Reschke