FASCHING

Carnival is here! Americans call it "Mardi Gras" whilst the British have "Shrove Tuesday" (pancake day). Also known in German as Karneval, Fastnacht, Fasching, Fassenacht, or Fasnet, depending on the region - has its roots in the spring celebrations of pre-Christian times, when people wore masks to scare away winter spirits and welcomed the rebirth of nature with singing and dancing. Today it is observed mainly in Catholic regions as a season of feasting and fun before the fasting period of Lent. The highpoint always occurs in the six days before Ash Wednesday when everyone from government officials to school children give themselves over to organized revelry. People may be laughing and having a good time, but for the hundreds of Carnival societies in the region, the season of festive sessions, balls and parades is serious business.

Fasching, Karneval 2013 Holiday (Feiertage):

Weiberfastnacht	Thursday 7.February 2013
Rosenmontag	Monday, 11.February 2013
Fastnacht	Tuesday,12.February 2013
Aschermittwoch	Wednesday,13.February 2013