05 February 2005

Helau!

This afternoon the first Fasching parade that Heilbronn has had in 21 years started less than 100 meters from our apartment. See Jeannette's blog for more insight into what Fasching is all about. I have asked many Germans this, and I have never recieved a satisfactory answer. Usually all they say is that it is "the fifth season". Huh? OK. Like Cedar Rapids or something. (Don't get it? Just click the link!). So, while Jeannette was describing it, I was shooting it. Here are some of my favorites from the parade. (Click the picture to see the larger picture at flickr.com)

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #1
They marched all the way from Basel, Switzerland, yet they were still first in line for the Heilbronn parade.

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #2
The metallic pirate drummer was one of my favorite costumes of the band from Basel. To his right, is the saxamaphone playing cousin of Buckethead's.

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #3
Greetings from Owl-boy

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #4
I got a nice proposition from this witch... (but she wasn't really my type...)

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #5
A well-dressed tromboner.

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #6
A trumpet-wielding bug (or something).

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #7
Bad-ass bass drummer (this is one of my favorite "people" photos)

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #8
A very happy candy thrower. (And the candy chuckers are the real reason people go to parades). See Jeannette's blog for some of the other things that got thrown instead of candy.

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #9
Dancin' goat! A good goat'll do that.

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #10
What this band lacked in costumes, they made up for in music. It was awesome! Check the rig in the back with sinks and other household stuff used as instruments. (My camera decided to act flaky just at that point, so I don't have a better shot of that setup)

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #11
A nice tree-person, and of course I can't ignore the one member of Heilbronn's clone army. Yes, there were hundreds of these girls that look sweet & innocent (and 100% identical!), but I think they are up to no good...

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #12
It's Log! It's Log! It's big, it's heavy, it's wood!

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #13
The jolly pirates abord the "Bläck Pörl".

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #14
Yet another posing witch, complete with kidnapped baby/late afternoon snack.

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #15
Some bone-totin' tiger-skin-wearin' primitive savage dude.

Heilbronner Faschingsumzug #16
The offspring of Paul Stanley and some poor court jester????

posted by Allanimal @ 19:44   2 Comments

2 Comments:

At Monday, 07 February, 2005 , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for the cool pics! so,next year i want you two to be the rasende reporters (and commentators) visiting Mainz' fastnacht!!! oh,btw, here is a link... http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/karneval.htm Here is the first paragraph... sure sounds more fun that what i found it was. :-)
Carnival is celebrated in many parts of the world. It combines a number of old fertility rites and customs like the driving out of winter. Its existence and origins are well documented in early mythology and primitive drawings. In the center of primitive religious rites and rituals stand the mask, dance and the procession. The human desire to disguise, to assume a different role, is as old as humankind itself. Fertility rites, often connected with orgiastic feasts, took place in many early cultures.

btw, the "clone army" Allan wrote about are called Funkenmariechen or Narrengarde or something like that.

 
At Monday, 07 February, 2005 , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks, Dorit (? I assume).
I didn't know what the clone army was called, but I spent a fair part of this morning reading about them, so it was fun. Were you one? I bet you were! That's probably why you started Irish dancing, too!

 

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