Braunschweig Carnival

Braunschweig can look back on a long tradition of foolish goings-on in their city. As early as 1293, the "Schoduvel" was mentioned in the Brunswick town book, which is regarded as a medieval form of carnival. Carnival customs have changed over the decades. Today the Braunschweig carnival parade on the Sunday before Shrove Monday is one of the largest parades in northern Germany.
It is organized and carried out by the three carnival societies Braunschweig Carnival Society from 1872 e.V., Carnival Association of the Rhinelanders e.V. and the Mascheroder Carnival Society Rot-Weiss from 1965 e.V.

History of the Braunschweig Schoduvel

The Middle Low German word Schoduvel means something like scare away the devil.
"Schoduvel" also "devil's show" were parades in which people dressed in animal skins and sheets noisily marched through the streets to scare away devils and other evil spirits of cold, death and danger.