Fastnacht- und Karneval-Lexikon

Mardi Gras in Germany - Vocabulary

An Annotated English-German
Glossary of Carnival Terms

Karneval | Fasching | Fastnacht | Fasnet | Mardi Gras

Holiday Calendar > Die fünfte Jahreszeit > Glossary

Carnival or Mardi Gras goes by many names in German, depending on the region and dialect. Whether you call it Fastnacht, Fasching or Karneval, it is a time for revelry, humor, and satire. Although its origins go back to ancient pagan times, it is the Romans and the Italians to whom the Germans owe many aspects of their celebration. The former Roman settlements of Cologne, Bonn and Mainz still celebrate Karneval. In this annotated glossary, you'll find vocabulary and facts related to the “fifth season.” For more about Carnival in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland see the article Die fünfte Jahreszeit.

GAME > German Hangman: Fasching/Karneval - based on this glossary

Ash Wednesday  der Aschermittwoch
  The day after Carnival ends; the day Lent begins.

association, guild, society (Carnival)  der Verein, die Zunft, die Gesellschaft
  Also see "guild" below.

ball (dance)  der Ball (Bälle)
  Carnival ball  der Faschingsball, der Karnevalball

bead(s)  die Perle (-n)
  glass beads Glasperlen (pl.)
  string of beads die Perlenschnur, die Perlenkette

candy, sweet(s) (thrown from floats)  der/das Bonbon (-s), die Süßigkeit (-en)
candy tossers (on floats)  der Bonbon-Werfer (-)

Carnival, Mardi Gras  der Fasching, die Fastnacht, der Karneval
  The German words for "Carnival" vary by region. Karneval is from Latin. Fasching and Fastnacht are Germanic. In general, German cities that were once Roman settlements (Cologne, Rhineland) use the Latin Karneval, while non-Roman areas in the south use the Germanic Fasching or Fastnacht.

Carnival (rhyming) speech  die Büttenrede (-n)
  The tradition of humorous, rhyming Büttenreden began in Cologne. An entire industry, complete with books and Web sites, has grown up around it.

Carnival / Mardi Gras parade  der Karnevalsumzug (-züge)
Carnival / Mardi Gras prince  der Karnevalsprinz (-en)
Carnival / Mardi Gras princess  die Karnevalsprinzessin (-nen)

clown, fool, jester  der Jeck (-en), der Narr (-en)

costume (n.)  das Kostüm (-e), die Verkleidung (-en)
  to wear a costume  ein Kostüm tragen, sich verkleiden
costumed, in costume (adj.)  verkleidet

the fifth season  die fünfte Jahreszeit (Karneval)

float (n.) der Festwagen (-) in parade

fool, clown, jester  der Jeck (-en), der Narr (-en)
fool's / jester's cap  die Narrenkappe (-n), die Narrenmütze (-n)

foolish, silly (adj.)  närrisch
the foolish/silly season  die närrische Saison (Karneval and the period leading up to Shrove Tuesday)

guild  die Zunft (Zünfte)
  fool's / jester's guild  die Narrenzunft
  Carnival guilds or societies organize and run the season's events.

jester, clown, fool  der Jeck (-en), der Narr (-en)

Krewe (New Orleans)  die Zunft (Zünfte)
  Mardi Gras guilds/societies in New Orleans are called "Krewes."

Lent, the Lenten season  die Fastenzeit
  Lent, the 40-day Fastenzeit begins on Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch and ends at Easter (Ostern).

mask  die Maske (-n)
  In some regions, rules and tradition require that Karnevalmasken be hand-carved and made only of wood.

parade  der Umzug (Umzüge)

Rose Monday  der Rosenmontag
  Rose Monday parade  der Rosenmontagumzug
  This is the big parade day for Karneval in Cologne, while Fasching in the south reaches its climax on Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras, "fat Tuesday"). Rosenmontag actually has nothing to do with roses, but is derived from rasen, to rave or rage!

Shrove Tuesday  der Fastnachtsdienstag, der Faschingsdienstag

Women's Carnival/Thursday  der Weiberfastnacht
  On the last Thursday before Fastnacht, also called Fastelabend, Schmutziger Donnerstag or Schmotzige Dunschstig, women play pranks such as cutting off men's ties.
Other names for Weiberfastnacht: Dorendonderdach, feister Phinztag, gumpiger Donstag, kleine Fastnacht (Oberrhein), fetter Donnerstag, schwerer Donnerstag (Rheinland), Semperstag, tumbe Fassnacht, unsinniger Donnerstag, Weiberdonnerstag, wuetig Donnerstag, Wuscheltag (Basel), Zemperstag, Zimpertag.

GAME > German Hangman: Fasching/Karneval - based on this glossary

Related Pages

Fastnacht/Karneval Article
An introduction to the "foolish season" or the "fifth season."

German Hangman: Fasching/Karneval
An online game with the theme of Mardi Gras in Germany. Based on this Fasching/Karneval glossary.

Fastnacht/Karneval Links
German and English Web sites related to the "fifth season."

Other Feb./March Links
Web sites related to other Feb. events: Valentine's, Groundhog Day.

Februar - Bräuche
German holidays and customs in the month of February and March.

Easter - Ostern
Easter comes 40 days after Ash Wednesday and the end of Fasching. German Easter vocabulary and information.

German Holiday Calendar
German holidays and celebrations listed by date.

Wort des Tages
Get a daily "booster shot" of German vocabulary.

The Good Wishes Glossary
A German-English lexicon of congratulations and best wishes for many occasions.

More Glossaries
English-German glossaries on a variety of topics.

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