An unforgettable experience
“ Fasnacht is the biggest festival in Switzerland . The celebration begins seven days prior to the lent . It falls on a thursday. While the traditional music bands parade through the streets . People dress up and enjoy the plots and have fun . There is traditional parade everybody of the carnival .The members of the band will wear flamboyant costumes and huge masks .The “Larvae” traditional masks are created using paper and a plaster mould
Weird and beautiful : Be it demonic or avian it is treat to eyes
Beautiful Carnival
Peaceful lake complemented by snowy mountain, the refreshing view experienced in the city of Luzerne was still there in my mind when we headed to the same places,but this time to experience ‘Fasnach’ the weird yet beautiful carnival in Switzerland . There was festivity in air, the DJ music was audible from the station and immediately it strikes me that it’s not the peaceful city I experienced yesterday. Streets were filled with ‘confetti’,people were all in interesting costumes with big colorful masks on. DJ music welcoming you to the eventful street whereas the beautiful ‘Guggenmusik’ the background was much more inviting . The Thursday before Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the beautiful carnival season in many cities in Switzerland . The celebration last till Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of lent, the 40 day fasting till Easter.
Fasnacht break : Take a break and be there to entertain or to get entertained
Dirty Thursday
The days of the year when people let loose and have the most fun. They also make sure that everyone else around them is having a good time . The government is in charge of Basel Fasnacht, which is Switzerland’s biggest carnival. Private groups are in charge of Luzerne’s carnival. It’s humorous, but it also allows people to make fun of political ideologies they disagree with without fear of repercussions . Brother Fritschi, the fake head of Luzerne’s largest and oldest guild, the Guild of Saffron, begins the ceremony at 5:00 a.m . The loud bang followed by the Confetti Rain officially opens fasnacht.
Guggen musik on the street : Fasnacht’s heart is where young and old play their part.
Biggest carnival
They stop frequently,act out scenes,interact with the crowd and make fun to entertain the people around . It was interesting to see how the young and old were equally enjoying the carnival. All of them were participating as if there is no tomorrow ,wearing interesting costumes and big masks on following different themes. You get to enjoy the local food in various food trucks along the street. The main enjoyment for kids, apart from the parade is playing with the confetti’s (small pieces or streamers of paper, Mylar,or metallic material which are usually thrown at celebrations) which are available in large bags from store and when their stocks are finished, they start collecting it back in the bag from streets for next round. If you are in the city even with no intention to participate in the carnival, you get automatically dragged into it as most of the shops as well remain closed during the parade time, to make it possible for their employees to participate and enjoy.
Fantasy Street: Live in the upgrade city for few days and have some confetti fun
Fasnacht memory
And if you’re in a restaurant, you might have to wait even longer because the band members are more important than you . It doesn’t really matter how you enjoy,how you interact with people. These are days of absolute freedom for both the localities and the foreigners. The moment they see you have a camera, they stop what they’re doing to let you capture the best shot possible .While it’s still winter in Switzerland. With the temperature around 10, I was struggling to survive. Watching the guggenmusik (masked bands) marching through the streets without reluctance or suffering inspired me to stay in the street .”Rain or shine they march around the streets,” a local woman stated .vl was in heaven, returning to the station with a lifetime’s worth of happy memories of people smiling at him on the street
Living fasnacht : If you want be blend in, dress up a bit wander around
Copyrights:
All the photos and text in this post are copyright of Alan Jose, Idukki ,Creative Hut Institute of Photography. A photography school in Kerala called Creative Hut gave him a Professional Diploma in the Art of Photography. It is illegal to copy them, in whole or in part, without the permission of the rightful owners.
