Status: 11.11.2023, 16:11 PM
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Carnivalists celebrate the beginning of the carnival season on the Heumarkt. © Oliver Berg/dpa
It's carnival time again in the Rhenish strongholds. Since the whole thing also fell on a Saturday this year, there were a lot of revelers on the road, especially in Cologne. But not everything was as usual.
Cologne - In Cologne, Düsseldorf and other strongholds, the carnivalists started their new season on Saturday at 11.11 a.m. In Cologne, there was the expected crowd with many tens of thousands of revelers. Because November 11 fell on a Saturday this year, the city had prepared for a special rush of party tourists. In addition, the weather was quite good with lots of sunshine in the afternoon. In recent years, the number of revelers from out of town in Cologne had already risen noticeably.
With 1000,180 police officers, 1000 police officers and more than <>,<> private security guards, the city tried to keep the situation under control. Regarding the current situation, a police spokeswoman said on Saturday afternoon: "Everything is still in the range of normal madness."
The celebrants came from all over Germany. Three Bavarian women dressed as Hogwarts students, for example, described it as a "unique opportunity" to be able to experience the hustle and bustle on a weekend. "We are teachers and can never take time off," explained Svenja (31). The experience is great: "Cologne is a completely different world."
In Düsseldorf, about 5000 people followed the awakening of Hoppeditz, who took a little longer this year to free himself from his mustard pot. According to a spokesman for the Düsseldorf Carnival Committee, the surrounding streets were also "packepacked".
Cologne's Lord Mayor Henriette Reker visited Cologne's largest synagogue on Saturday, which was located almost directly on the main party mile. "Of course, we think of the hardship and despair that our Jewish fellow citizens are experiencing at the moment," said the non-party politician. "Carnival is now celebrated here, not far from the synagogue. Many people need this time of celebration. Others can't suppress the thoughts of Hamas' violent attacks and the consequences."
In solidarity with all Jewish citizens, the cry "Kölle Alaaf! Kölle Alaaf! Kölle Shalom!" Aaron Knappstein, president of the Jewish carnival association "Kölsche Kippa Köpp", said at the reception that the Jews in Cologne were in need and needed all citizens at their side. "We have more and more people in Cologne, too, who deny that we are from Cologne. Who tell us we don't belong here anymore."
Carnival President Christoph Kuckelkorn assured Knappstein that the carnival was firmly on his side. "The spectre that we actually saw defeated is back in our time, and that really scares me," Kuckelkorn said. He recalled the fraught history of carnival during the Nazi era: "At that time, in the time of the Nazi regime, carnival was also part of the machinery, was part of the propaganda, totally devoted itself."
Psychologist Stephan Grünewald considers carnival celebrations to be legitimate against the backdrop of war and crises. "Carnival is an act of self-care and also increases personal resilience," said the author ("What makes Germany tick?") and head of the Cologne-based Rheingold Institute to the German Press Agency. The alternative would be to retreat into a quiet room brooding. "But I believe that someone who is able to celebrate is also capable of compassion, because then he has the resource to do so." It's not about partying, but about a brief ray of hope in a darkening world. Dpa