Dear all, 

In the spirit of Cologne carnival, this week everything is different: We, the student research assistants at TWS, are taking over the newsletter! So in addition to last week’s preview of carnival today we talk about how we have experienced it in Cologne in the last couple of days. 

Late in the evening of Veilchendienstag, the last Day of Carnival, the people of Cologne gather in their districts to burn a straw doll called Nubbel. It is the scapegoat and symbol of our sins during carnival, and many bars and pubs hang it during the celebrations above the door. The people form a torchlight procession and carry the Nubbel to a steel barrel where they form a circle. A satirical and partly humorous call–and–response speech is delivered typically by a carnival speaker or a priest-like figure. The topics often include local and global politics, and recent events, most of which are blamed on the Nubbel, just like the excessive drinking, partying, and any other wild behavior during the carnival. After each accusation the people are asked: “Un wer is dat schuld?” (“And whose fault is that?”) and the people answer: “Dä Nubbel!” (“The Nubbel’s”). But some events cannot even be blamed on this straw doll, in this year’s speech at Chlodwigplatz the re-election of a (quote): “certain orange headed man” as well as the political rise of the right-wing parties in Germany were considered too serious and negative to be blamed on the Nubbel. 

In last week’s Newsletter we already wrote about the Rosenmontag (rose Monday) and the biggest carnival parade in town. This year the floats addressed political themes with sharp satire. Local issues were addressed like the float titled Liebe deine Stadt (Love Your City) featuring a person wearing a Pappnas (red clown’s nose) and carrying an unfinished building that resembles the loooong-delayed new Cologne Opera House with the side reading Kultur Baustelle (Cultural Construction Site). In addition international changes in politics were also covered like a float showing Donald Trump with the Statue of Liberty and the figure of Justice on a leash, symbolizing the curbing of democracy and the rule of law. Another float draws attention to global conflicts - it is titled Liebesmüh (Love’s Labour) and features the dove of peace to highlight the ongoing wars all around the globe. 

We hope you appreciated this introspective into more subversive and weird parts of Cologne Carnival tradition.

Alaaf – meaning as much as au fou de partout, to fools everywhere, we greet you!

Janne Bierwirth

for the Cologne Team