Fasnacht 2015 In Photos

Pretty clogs all lined up in a row.

Confetti cannon.

A mimosa bouquet.

Bad weather didn’t stop Baslers from enjoying the parade.

Confetti umbrella.

Writing down the scores.

The Fasnacht Committee acknowledging the passing Cliques.

Some of the themes can be political.

A little leopard on the prowl.

No bag? No problem.

Mimosa galore.

Waiting to dump confetti on an unsuspecting victim.

The view’s good from here.

Lovely mimosa to brighten up the home.

The loot. No need to go grocery shopping for a while.

My favourite Fasnacht snack: Fasnachtskuechli.

The lantern display at Munsterplatz.

Social media was a popular theme this year.

A member of the crowd admiring a lantern.

More Fasnacht treats: Fastenwähe and Zigerkrapfen.

Morgenstreich 2015

The alarm went off at 2:45am. I climbed out of bed, walked over to the bathroom, and splashed cold water on to my face. I changed into my day clothes, taking care to put on extra layers. At a few minutes after 3am, we left the house and walked to the Bruderholz tram stop in the freezing cold. Thank heavens for the extra layers.

When we got to the tram stop, I couldn’t help but smile. The tram was full. At 3am on a Monday morning. There were no seats left, and people were standing. We got on and squeezed past the standing passengers towards an empty spot by the window. I looked around; parents with their young children, elderly couples, grandparents, teenagers; the entire neighbourhood was here. Some were in costumes, others were in plain clothes. Almost everyone had their Blagette pinned onto the lapel of their jackets. Nobody looked sleepy or drowsy, not even the kids. The lady standing next to me had even taken the effort to make herself up: foundation, mascara, lipstick – the works. Dedication, I think to myself. Or vanity and insecurity? It didn’t matter. Everyone was there for the same reason: Morgenstreich.

The Fasnacht Series: The Cortège and Lantern Display

This is the fourth and final instalment of the Fasnacht series. To understand what Fasnacht is all about, click here and here. You can also check out the post on a related event, the “Chienbäse”, here. 

This year, I managed to catch the Cortège on both Fasnacht Monday and Fasnacht Wednesday. The city was packed with people – it was as if the entire population of Basel Stadt and Basel Land had descended upon Marktplatz, Barfusserplatz and Bankverein.

It was a colourful affair – the elaborate costumes, the lanterns, and of course, the seemingly endless shower of confetti coming from the playful Waggis.

The Fasnacht Series: Chienbäse

This is the third instalment in my blog series on Fasnacht. What’s Fasnacht, you ask? Read here and here to find out.

The Chienbäse parade takes place in neigbouring Liestal on the evening of the Sunday before Basel’s Morgenstreich. The parade has its origins in pagan fire rituals meant to drive winter away, where large fires (representing the sun) were lit on the mountain tops to bring the sun’s warmth down to the village.

The Fasnacht Series: A Visit to a Cliquekeller

A week before Fasnacht, we had the opportunity to visit a Cliquekeller. 

A Cliquekeller is a clubhouse of sorts for a Clique (group), and is usually housed in a cellar of a nondescript building. A Cliquekeller is not usually easy to find, and intentionally so, as the planning and preparation of each Clique’s “Sujet” (theme) for the upcoming Fasnacht is kept secret until the day itself.

There are, however, occasions when the Cliquekeller opens its doors to outsiders, namely during Fasnacht itself, when food and drinks are sold as part of the festivities. Sometimes the Cliquekeller is rented out for private functions, as a means of earning side income for the Clique. 

At other times, the Cliquekeller is opened for a small group of outsiders and a member of the Clique gives a brief presentation about the history and traditions of Fasnacht. Mr. TH’s office organised such an event, and we managed to sign up for it.