One of these years I'd like to do a tour of all the crazy weird specific pagan festivals that go on throughout the continent. (You may remember the one I attended in Mallorca.) Here's what Carolyn said about being in Basel these last few days:
Well, yes sort of, but the 4am thing is special only
to Basel I think. It felt very serious, not like the
next day where people were throwing confetti and
oranges and kirshwasser and and poems in Swiss German
and carrots (?). The 4am morga strasse (I think( was
like a huge parade and I have never seen so many
people out even at regular times in Basel. The only
crowd that I've seen that compare recently are the
protests against the war in SF. But the procession is
hundreds and hundreds of masked people with lighted
paintings on their heads playing the picolo or drums
or showing lit posters of events during the year.
Weird, but very beautiful. They turn off all the
lights in teh city so the only lights come from the
people themselves. I wish I had a camera, because it
was very lovely, and I'm not much of a describer...
But the reason for the fasnacht celebration is to kick
out winter! So, in that sense it isn't really like
mardi gras which is more of a "lets party today
because tomorrow lent starts."
Anyway, the short answer is yes, it is equivalent to
mardi gras but I havent seen any breasts or beads and
the roots must be pagan in nature.
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