Fasnacht 2: Morgestraich

…continued from Fasnacht 1

Morgestraich, the official start of Fasnacht – Monday morning at exactly 4 am all the lights in the old town of Basel are shut off (including the street lights) and carnival begins! The lights from the lanterns illuminate the streets (and bridges) and the air immediately fills with the shrill sound of thousands of piccolos (all playing different songs) and drums.

The Cliquen dress up in costumes and march around the old city on pre-defined routes. There are almost 20,000 people that participate and they are serious.

I’m too cheap to pay to upgrade my blog and pay to be able to post videos to my posts, so here is a link where you can see a video of what Morgestraich is like from a spectator’s point of view. It also showcases my Mom’s stellar home movie skillz, so hat tip to her!

Basel Fasnacht 7 from Petunia on Vimeo.

to be continued...

 

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