Well, well, well. It looks as though Fasnacht has consumed much of the week and I have neglected to update everyone, so this will be a big entry. This week has been a fun, intriguing time - I have never experienced anything quite like it. For anyone that would like to learn more about Fasnacht, you can follow this link to Carnival of Basel on Wikipedia. The Weil am Rhein Fasnacht started Sunday afternoon after church with a parade in our home town. Over one hundred groups, predominantly Guggenmusik (brass) bands paraded under out balcony. We didn't realize what a great vantage point we have.
Wonderfully colorful costumes (including colorful clogs) - you can just make out some confetti on the street, tons of the stuff will be distributed throughout the region before Fasnacht is over...
I really hope you can see this video: it is a parade participant spewing fire. Run it a couple of times to be sure to see the first bit.
Fire seems to be a dominant theme during Fasnacht. Before the Weil parade was finished, Michael joined some of the school staff for a trip to the Chienbäse (Fire Parade) in the town of Liestal, Switzerland. Delynn, unfortunately, was down with a fever (I think she got it from me) and could not attend. In the end, it was best for Delynn to stay home because it became a long day/night.) Below is a great picture of Aubrey, one of our fellow teacher friends (who happens to hail from the Pacific Northwest and shares my birthday). She is definitely ready for the parade!
Okay, this might be a bit hard to see, but the Liestal Fire Parade consists of groups of people (um, one could say slightly crazy people) carrying huge torches of burning pine and rolling flaming bonfire carriages through the city gate and down the main street in this old city.
The Feuerwehr (Fire Brigade) hoses down the stone gate in between carriage runs - the stones steam from the heat. This must be why everything is built of stone here...
Here is a close up of one of the bonfire carriages - believe me it is HOT, we were in the back row up against the buildings and could feel the heat, especially when they stop the carriage RIGHT IN FRONT of you!! (Makes for a nice picture...) People who arrive late pay the penalty and have to stand further forward. When the carriage stops, they turn their backs to the fire, it is so intense.
The group does an eyebrow check after the parade. No burned coats or singed hair.
After the excitement of Liestal, we hung around until Morgestraich, the official beginning of the Basler Fasnacht. At 4:00am Monday morning, all of the lights in Basel are extinguished. The only light in the city comes from the lanterns carried by the Pipe and Drum bands. There are probably 50 different bands that travel throughout the downtown area along with hundreds of thousands of others that come for the experience. I apologize that I don't have any pictures, but it is considered bad form to use a flash during Morgestraich, but I have a quick video clip.
Morgestraich goes on for hours. After being up over 22 hours, we turned our heads toward home for a good day's sleep. Delynn was sleeping soundly when I finally made it to our cozy little apartment.
Tuesday, Delynn was feeling a bit better, so we joined up with Cam and Jen to experience Fasnacht day 2. The central part of Basel nearly shuts down over the three days of Fasnacht. Trams are rerouted to avoid the center, so people walk everywhere. Below is Barfüßerplatz (literally "Barefoot Square"), one of the larger tram interchanges in Basel - a tram could not get through this throng.
A nice example of the lanterns carried in the parade. Often the lanterns depict political or social issues and are many times critical of local politicians. It is free speech at its best - unfortunately, it is usually written in the local dialect which makes it nearly impossible to read, so we guess a lot.
Harlequins are a popular theme during Fasnacht.
More of the lanterns. You can see a Russian bear gobbling up a Swiss city. There are immigration issues all over the world!
Can you see all of the confetti? It piles in drifts along the roads, but at 4am on Thursday morning, in typical Swiss efficiency, Fasnacht ends and the streets are completely cleared of confetti and any traces of Fasnacht by noon.
These three Waggis - misschevious creatures that like to throw confetti - were very tired. With their masks on, it is hard to tell, but I think they were asleep...
After the frenetic pace of Fasnacht, Delynn and I took a day (we have been on break this week) to visit the lovely town of Colmar in the Alsace region of France. The sun never quite broke through the fog, but we had such a nice relaxing time.
Doesn't it just feel peaceful?
If you have made it this far, I commend you for your perseverence. We love you and miss you all. We pray that God will be present with you during this season of Lent; that He will draw you close and give you peace.
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