There are many traditions in Germany. Bavaria, the region in south-east Germany where I live, has a lot of unique traditions that you can’t find in other parts of Germany. You might already know about some Bavarian traditions like Oktoberfest. Maybe you’ve seen traditional Bavarian clothing like Dirndl dress, or Lederhosen pants. But have you ever heard of Fasching?
In the U.S.A. and in Great Britain, people like to celebrate Halloween by dressing up and giving out candy. Halloween isn’t really a big deal in Germany, although American T.V. and movies have made it more popular. Instead, Germans dress up and eat candy during a holiday called Fasching.
Fasching is a celebration that takes place for one week. It is celebrated with big parades and parties. To prepare for the parade, local clubs make parade floats. These floats are like big houses built on top of wagons. The wagons are then pulled by tractors through the town. People dance on the parade floats, wear silly costumes and throw candy to children watching the parade.
The biggest Fasching parade in Germany is in a city called Cologne. Cologne is pretty far away from me, so I went to a Fasching parade in a town called Rohr instead.
