Fasnacht and Mardi Gras

Exuberance, cheerfulness, exuberant joie de vivre and mockery of the authorities are the main characteristics of the carnival, carnival or carnival.

To this day, experts have not been able to clearly clarify both the origin and the origin of the carnival.
Some customs have their roots in the pagan exorcism of winter, others in reference to the upcoming Christian Lent. Other important influences can be found in the mockery of the French occupation in the early 19th century and of the authorities in general.

The word Fastnacht and its regional variations are mainly used in Hesse and Rhenish Hesse, in Franconia, in Upper Lusatia, the Palatinate, on the Middle Rhine and in Baden, Württemberg, Bavarian Swabia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the western parts of Austria (Alpine region).
Regionally it is Fas(s)enacht in Mainz, Fasenacht in Franconia, Fasnacht in Switzerland, Fasnet in Baden, Württemberg and Bavarian Swabia, regionally also F(a)asent and in Luxembourg Fuesend.
The term "vastnacht" has been known since the 12th century, meaning "eve of the fast day". This means Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent in the Christian religion.

In southern Germany, Bavaria and Austria (east of the Arlberg) in the Bavarian language area, the term carnival is mainly used. In Saxony, Brandenburg and in northern Germany, carnival is also the predominant term for the foolish days in many places.
The term "Fasching" is derived from the Middle High German "Vastchanc" and its intermediate form "Faschang" and means: pouring out the "fasting drink".

In general, the term carnival refers primarily to the Rhenish carnival such as Cologne carnival, Düsseldorf carnival, Bonn carnival, Eschweiler carnival, Aachen carnival, Neuss carnival, Mönchengladbach carnival.
The origin of the term carnival is not clear. The most common assumption is the derivation from the Middle Latin "carne vale", which means "meat, farewell". So this is the time before Lent.