We’re coming up on the end of Fasching season here in Mittelfranken, otherwise known as Karneval, or as we know it in the South, Mardi Gras. It’s much more of a family celebration here, though, with lots of parades and parties for the kids. It’s been interesting explaining to the students in my English classes that Mardi Gras is NOT a kid’s holiday! Explaining the whole “bead” thing was a source of great amusement.

Fasching costumes have been on sale here since Christmas—what a way to get more mileage out of your Halloween costume!  And the television stations have been full of old Karneval variety shows, with the audience dressed in costume, folks on stage drinking as much as the audience… the whole thing is a bit surreal. A popular character is the German version of the “hillbilly” (can’t remember his name right now, but he’s a Bauer/Farmer), and I actually saw one performer doing the Carol Burnett “cleaning lady” skit on one of these shows! We sat in awe at the inanity of it all—and that was just on TV!