LUCERNE, Switzerland - When celebrated in warm places, Mardi Gras or Carnival carries the connotation of wild times, public excess, even debauchery. This is far less true in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland, where it is called Fasnacht. In Lucerne, scenically situated on a lake of the same name and one of Europe’s most enchanting medieval cities, the pre-Lenten carnival goes on for nearly a week, and while it’s loud, it’s family-friendly, fairly well-behaved and very safe.
Fasnacht begins Feb. 10 this year, the Wednesday evening one week before Ash Wednesday, and ends around 4 a.m. Feb. 17. The first salvo is the installation of the “Guuggerbaum,” a tree festooned with banners representing the dozens of brass-and-percussion bands that play in the streets and march in parades during the following six days.
Because Swiss winters are considerably colder than such carnival capitals as New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro and Port-of-Spain, there’s no near-nude and hardly any lewd. The festivities may feel random and chaotic, but orderly in a particularly Swiss way, which is the cause and effect of families bringing small, costumed children to the heart of town on the pitch-dark nights.
Much like New Orleans’ Mardi Gras “krewes,” groups participating in Lucerne’s Fasnacht parades spend months planning their Fasnacht themes. Groups appear as covens of witches, bands of devils, gangs of knaves, squadrons of vampires, packs of farmers, platoons of woodcutters, herds of invented animals neverseen in nature and legions of strange characters of all sorts in huge masks, often of wood and usually with oversize and very grotesque caricature faces. Parade groups work hard to be different and interesting, because during the parade they are judged on creativity and the best are honored for their inventiveness.
The costumed musicians, “Guggenmusigen” in Swiss-German, play tirelessly and enthusiastically, but not always in tune, as thousands of locals and visitors in fantastic masks and elaborate costumes make their way through the old city’s streets, alleys and squares. The cacophonous sounds bounce off ancient city walls, while costumed celebrants sing along, dance and munch their way from food stand to food stand.
Fasnacht kicks into high gear in the wee hours on Thursday morning with an enormous crashing sound. Thursday is called “Schmutzige Donnerstag,” dialect for “Dirty Thursday,” and that’s when the Fritschis first appear. The precise origins of Fritschi and his kin are lost in the mists of time, but folk historians have traced them to the 15th century.
This ancient character and his small entourage are the mascots of Lucerne’s carnival: grandfatherly Fritschi; his wife, Fritschene; their child, Fritschikind; a nanny; a jester; and several peasants in attendance who ride in a horse-drawn wagon and toss oranges to the crowd.
Fritschi first shows himself from a window of the 17th-century city hall at 5 a.m. on Dirty Thursday and later shows up for a Fritschi Parade by ferry with fireworks shot from the gunwales and reflecting in Lake Lucerne’s dark water. And every day brings more events and more crowds.
From tykes in strollers bumping along car-free, cobblestoned streets to senior citizens with sturdy canes who sometimes seem as ancient as the buildings themselves, Fasnacht celebrants arrive in the old city well before dawn to blow off steam, Swiss-style, before six weeks of Lenten restraint.
People perambulate through the small streets, duck into even narrower alleys and stop for a bite to eat or a hot drink at temporary stalls set up in small plazas all over the old town. Hot soup, sausages, sandwiches, pretzels and other street fare are popular. Bakers churn out special Fasnacht cookies: thin, iced cakes called “Fasnachtskuechli,” diamondshaped “Ziglkrapfer” and log-like “Tschankerli.” The old city is laced with sweet streets.
For those not content with street food, restaurants and bars are open practically around the clock with hot food, cold beer and a place to sit down. These establishments are crowded at all hours, so have your hotel make a reservation or prepare to wait.
One striking element of Lucerne’s Fasnacht is the absence of blatant commercialism in the costumes worn by marchers and spectators - no TV cartoon characters, no action figures or superheroes, no slasher movie characters. Some families make their own matching costumes, while many groups of friends rent theirs.
A multilevel, open-air stage is set up in the heart of the old city. Slapstick, country-themed comedy routines are performed. Popular characters include young, country lads, winsome milkmaids and outraged parents - and, of course, a cow or two. Theaudience ebbs and flows, but there always is a crowd.
The main parade is on Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) with the last hurrah for the bands, the marchers, the lights, the lanterns, the spectators and the shower of confetti that underscores the festivities. After midnight on Ash Wednesday, Lucerne begins to settle back into its staid existence. By midmorning, when crowds have dispersed and cleanup of the litter and other detritus from the late night and early morning is completed, Lucerne catches its breath before the revelry starts all over again - and on Ash Wednesday, the carnival stops until the following year.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact: Luzern Tourismus, Zentralstrasse 5, CH-6003 Lucerne; check out
luzern.com
or myswitzer
land.com
.
Travel, Pages 46 on 01/31/2010