(Although, I remember never wanting the parade to end).
Later on, during my year in Tübingen, I saw this same Carnival tradition replicated in Fasnet. One day, I woke up and got ready to go to work when my roommate called me downstairs to tell me she was going to the parade in the city center. I went with her and some other friends to stand out on the streets again, the same way I had as a child, except this parade was different. In Tübingen, the theme of the parade is hexen (witches). Those in the parade wear elaborate wooden masks and black capes. There are no floats because the streets are too narrow.
The young children still await candy, which is graciously given out by the witches. However, if you're an adult, you'd better watch out. Every few minutes, the witches would target someone and drag them into the parade--sometimes smearing black paint on their face, or carrying them away. Their mischievous behavior targeted my friend and I, who each got smeared with black paint (which was really difficult to get off). At the end of the parade, most people went into the local restaurants to enjoy a meal and escape the cold. Overall, it was a very unique experience and I hope to go back and celebrate with my friends again next year!
The Fasnet celebrations in this region have their origins in ancient European Pagan festivals. They celebrated the end of winter, but were later integrated into the Christian calendar as the feasting period before Lent. In the Middle Ages, this tradition allowed people to make fun of authority and the rigid social hierarchy with costumes and masks.
