Mainz carnival
Encyclopedia
The Mainz Carnival is a months-long city-wide carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...

 celebration in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 that traditionally begins on 11 November but culminates in the days before Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...

 in the spring. It is one of the largest carnival events in Germany and, along with the Cologne
Cologne carnival
The Cologne Carnival is a carnival that takes place every year in Cologne, Germany. Traditionally, the "fifth season" is declared open at 11 minutes past 11 on the 11th of November. The Carnival spirit is then temporarily suspended during the Advent and Christmas period, and picks up again in...

 and Düsseldorfer carnivals, Mainz is one of the three cities prominent in the rhenish
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....

 carnival tradition. Aside from the celebrations, parades, and jollity which are typical of carnival traditions in many countries, the Mainz carnival has an unusual emphasis on political and literary humor and commentary.

Early beginnings

The tradition of carnival can be traced back to the Christian moveable feast
Moveable feast
In Christianity, a moveable feast or movable feast is a holy day – a feast day or a fast day – whose date is not fixed to a particular day of the calendar year but moves in response to the date of Easter, the date of which varies according to a complex formula...

s, where Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...

 is the first day of Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...

 and occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sunday
Sunday
Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. For most Christians, Sunday is observed as a day for worship of God and rest, due to the belief that it is Lord's Day, the day of Christ's resurrection....

s) before Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

. The first written records of the tradition date from the 13th and 14th century. By that time, regulations against excessive gluttony
Gluttony
Gluttony, derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, intoxicants or wealth items to the point of extravagance or waste...

 and debauchery during the days before carnival had been established. The word „Fastnacht“ or carnival occurs for the first time during the 13th century.
Details about the old Mainz carnival are not thoroughly covered in primary sources. A scripture of the Mainz humanist writer Dietrich Gresemund
Dietrich Gresemund
-Biography:Gresemund was born at Speyer. His father, also named Dietrich, was a native of Meschede in Westphalia.Gresemund was educated first at Erfurt, where he became magister, and subsequently in Italy...

 dated to the end of the 15th century describes carnival as an unorganized Volksfest
Volksfest
A Volksfest is a large event in Germany which combines a festival and a carnival. Admission to a Volksfest is free however you have to pay for each ride separately....

 comprising masquerade, meals, drinking and dancing during day and night. He describes the celebrants engaging in crude jokes or, under the protection of their masks, excessive quarrelling.

Simultaneously, huge carnival celebrations at the electoral court happened, where the roles at the court were rearranged at random. In 1664 the prince elector drew the role of the electoral cabinetmaker, in 1668 he was cup-bearer and had to serve all guests. This habit was called „Mainzer Königreich“ (Mainz kingdom). This roleplaying tradition continued until the last elector, Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal
Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal
Friedrich Karl Joseph Reichsfreiherr von Erthal was prince-elector and archbishop of Mainz from 18 July 1774 to 4 July 1802, shortly before the end of the archbishopric in the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss....

, terminated it in 1775.
With the end of the Ancien Régime, the "people's carnival" continued, but, according to old records, degenerated into vulgarity.What does this mean? The upper-class at that time celebrated costume parties
Costume party
A fancy dress party or a costume party , mainly in contemporary Western culture, is a type of party where guests dress up in a costume.-Fancy dress parties in Britain:...

, carrying on a tradition which had existed previously.

The origins of the contemporary carnival in Mainz lie in the strengthening of the middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....

 after the end of the Ancien Régime at the beginning of the 19th century and stronger economic relations with Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...

. In the latter city, reforms were made in the carnival in 1823, which introduced carnevalistic events in great halls, as well as a big parade on Rosenmontag
Rosenmontag
Rosenmontag is the highlight of the German "Karneval" , and is on the Shrove Monday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The "Mardi Gras," though celebrated on Tuesday, is a similar event...

. In addition, the middle-class in Mainz strived for alternate forms of social gatherings and readily accepted the Cologne Reform, with the slight variation of placing a greater emphasis on opposition and competition. After the old carnival was restored in Cologne, the Mainz carnivalists organized a parade named „Krähwinkler Landsturm“ in 1837, where the oldest carnival organization in Mainz, later called the Mainzer Ranzengarde, appeared the first time. Like other carnival organizations in the Rhineland at the time, fees for joining were high enough that participation was largely restricted to the upper middle class. It was not until the mid-19th century that a proliferation of clubs and resulting drop in membership fees allowed lower middle class participation. The clubs would meet weekly beginning in January to plan events for final week of carnival. Unlike other rhenish carnival cities, in Mainz, the clubs tended to be slightly more heterogeneous, as members of the clubs were allowed to bring friends, and often did, from outside the burgeoning middle class.

The initiative for creating the first organization may be traced back to the merchant Nicolaus Krieger. His primary objective was that the rather disgustingly vulgar people's carnival was transformed by organized activities to an orderly event, generating revenue for the innkeepers and attracting tourists.

January 19, 1838 is the date of foundation of the Mainzer Carneval-Verein (Mainz carnival association). This first carnival association of the town took over responsibilities as an umbrella organization and is still organizing the Mainzer Rosenmontagszug today. The association's first act was to plan a ‘carnival monday parade’, which took place on February 26, 1838. The main features of the Mainzer Fastnacht have not changed substantially since 1838.

Rise of carnival to a social event

In the beginning, the Mainz carnival was non-political. The activities of the carnivalistic organizations (MCV, Ranzengarde, Rosenmontagszug, sessions) had been watched closely by the grand ducal authorities, but generally allowed to continue. This is indicated by the fact that some carnival associations had been allowed to be founded again and again, but only for one particular season. Each 11 November they were refounded, and this was approved by the authorities. Within the 19th century this process became a tradition. It was eventually given up due to the associated inconveniences.

The politicization of the Mainz carnival started when celebrants used the opportunity of the carnival to mock French troops stationed in the city in the early 19th century, and accelerated in the run-up to the revolutions of 1848 in the German states
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...

, when revolutionary leader Franz Heinrich Zitz
Franz Heinrich Zitz
Dr. Franz Heinrich Zitz was a prominent Mainz attorney and enjoyed much success with women due to his comeliness. He was a restless and at times dissolute man. On June 3, 1837, he married the writer Katharina Theresa Halein, not completely of his own free will, but under threat of suicide...

 became president of the Mainz carnival association (MCV) in 1843 and the democrat Philipp Wittmann joined the committee. The symbolism of the Jacobin Club turning to the foolish may be traced back to these two men: the interpretation of the foolish cap as extended Phrygian cap
Phrygian cap
The Phrygian cap is a soft conical cap with the top pulled forward, associated in antiquity with the inhabitants of Phrygia, a region of central Anatolia. In the western provinces of the Roman Empire it came to signify freedom and the pursuit of liberty, perhaps through a confusion with the pileus,...

, the colours blue, white, red, and yellow derived from the Tricolour
Tricolour
A tricolour is a flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of differing colours...

, the committee as a „revolutionary council of the eleven“. During the revolutionary year 1848 itself, the carnival was cancelled, and the carnival gazette „Narhalla“ turned to a revolutionary flyer.

Starting in the 1840s, political commentary and critique had become much more common in carnival events, especially in the weekly club meetings that ostensibly existed to organize celebrations. Speakers would often have to be coy about their meaning, but nonetheless the carnival had become an outlet for political dissent. The ability to speak publicly about politics, however veiled the reference, made the events popular, and the 1840s saw the founding of a second carnival club. This one, founded by a chimney sweep and a paper hanger, had an inexpensive membership fee to allow working class citizens to participate.

During the years after the revolution, carnival activities declined briefly. By 1855, however, the tradition began to see a resurgence, leading to a rapid increase in the number of club members and to the foundation of new corporations (Kleppergarde, 1856). In 1857, events were cancelled due to the explosion of the powder magazine and in 1866 due to the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...

. The Rosenmontagszüge had also to be cancelled in following years due to single events. In 1884 the MCV took the opportunity to give a session in the newly finished guildhall, which they would continue to use for the next 50 years. In later years many new associations arose: the Mombach
Mombach
Mombach, with about 13,000 inhabitants, is a borough in the northwest corner of Mainz, Germany. Mombach can be reached via Mainz-innenstadt or Bundesautobahn 643.- Location :...

er Carneval Verein
(1886), the Gonsenheimer Carneval Verein (1892) and the Carnival association „Eiskalte Brüder“ (1893). As Guards, the Mainzer Prinzengarde (1884), the Prinzessgarde (1886), renamed in 1933 as Guard of the Princess, the Mombacher Prinzengarde (1886) and the Jocus-Garde (1889) were added.

Theme and characters

Traditionally, carnival season in Mainz begins on November 11 at 11:11, and continues through Ash Wednesday. However, the event peaks in February or March in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday.

During the 19th century celebrants began using the carnival as an opportunity to mock the military forces occupying the city's fortress. The uniforms of the carnival guards are still reminders of the uniforms of the Austrian, Prussian, and French troops which were present in the town between 1792 and 1866. Others, like the Landsknecht
Landsknecht
Landsknechte were European, predominantly German mercenary pikemen and supporting foot soldiers from the late 15th to the late 16th century, and achieved the reputation for being the universal mercenary of Early modern Europe.-Etymology:The term is from German, Land "land, country" + Knecht...

 uniform of the Weisenauer Burggrafengarde trace their lineage as far back as the middle-ages. Uniform parts of the electoral troops are also present. The guards, who spoof military habits and oaths, have a big role in the street carnival, making up large portions of the parades. The Mainzer Rosenmontagszug is the most renowned among the parades. It had been recorded since 1910 on film, and is often broadcast live nationwide. It is less formal than many parades, as celebrants can and often do join in to walk the parade route for a brief time. Marchers are often very informal about their roles, sometimes drinking beer as they ride parade floats.

Political commentary and caricature have become a notable part of the Mainz carnival, and especially of its parades. For example, floats during one parade in the late 1980s showed Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam is a common national personification of the American government originally used during the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly man with white hair and a goatee beard...

 and a Russian soldier climbing out of suits of armor, and portrayed Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...

 in a bathtub.

The battle cry of the Mainz carnival, Helau, originates from Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...

 and was introduced in 1938 in Mainz.

Sources

  • Werner Hanfgarn, Bernd Mühl, Friedrich Schütz: Fünfundachtzig Mainzer Jahre. Die Stadt, die Fastnacht, Jakob Wucher in Geschichte und Geschichten Verlag Dr. Hanns Krach, Mainz 1983, ISBN 3-87439-097-7
  • Michael Matheus (Hg.): Fastnacht/Karneval im europäischen Vergleich (Mainzer Vorträge 3). Franz Steiner Verlag, Mainz 1999, ISBN 978-3-515-07261-8.
  • Herbert Schwedt (Hrsg.): Analyse eines Stadtfestes. Die Mainzer Fastnacht. Wiesbaden 1977 (Mainzer Studien zur Sprach- und Volksforschung 1) ISBN 3-515-02664-9
  • Günter Schenk: Mainz Helau. Handbuch zur Mainzer Fastnacht. Leinpfad Verlag, Ingelheim 2004, ISBN 3-937782-07-9
  • Günter Schenk: Mainz, wie es singt und lacht. Fastnacht im Fernsehen - Karneval für Millionen. Ingelheim 2004, ISBN 3-937782-19-2
  • Friedrich Schütz: Die moderne Mainzer Fastnacht in: Franz Dumont (Hrsg.), Ferdinand Scherf, Friedrich Schütz: Mainz – Die Geschichte der Stadt. Verlag Phillip von Zabern, Mainz 1999, ISBN 3-8053-2000-0
  • Carl Zuckmayer
    Carl Zuckmayer
    Carl Zuckmayer was a German writer and playwright.-Biography:Born in Nackenheim in Rheinhessen, he was four years old when his family moved to Mainz. With the outbreak of World War I, he finished school with a facilitated "emergency"-Abitur and volunteered for military service...

    : Die Fastnachtsbeichte. Carnival confession.
  • Ralph Keim: Fastnacht in Meenz. Sutton-Verlag, Erfurt, ISBN 978-3-86680-160-8

External links

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