{"id":7912,"date":"2016-11-12T13:58:41","date_gmt":"2016-11-12T13:58:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=7912"},"modified":"2017-12-08T14:18:58","modified_gmt":"2017-12-08T14:18:58","slug":"all-you-need-to-know-about-the-elfter-elfter-start-of-karneval","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-elfter-elfter-start-of-karneval\/","title":{"rendered":"All You Need to Know about the Elfter Elfter – Start of Karneval"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the Elfter Elfter<\/em>\u00a0(eleventh of the eleventh), Carnival officially started around the world, including Germany. But what do Germans even call their\u00a0Carnival? And what happens on Elfter Elfter<\/em>? Find out here: 5 things to know!<\/p>\n

1. Different names for the same<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Whether you call it Carnival or Mardi Gras – you mean the same thing. This is also the case in Germany. There is Fasching<\/em>,\u00a0Karneval\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Fastnacht<\/em>. These words all refer to the same period before Lent, but have different meanings. They are used in different parts of German-speaking areas, but it is hard to categorize. For example, Northern Germany celebrates Karneval<\/em>, but you will also hear the term\u00a0Fasching<\/em>, which is widespread. But what they all mean? Let’s have a closer look at each one of them.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Fasching<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

Fasching\u00a0<\/em>is a word that originates in the 13th century. It is derived from the Germanic\u00a0vaschanc\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0vaschang<\/em>, which in modern German means\u00a0Fastenschank<\/em> (literally: Lenting bar). This is the last time to get an alcoholic drink before Lent – there is plenty of that during Fasching<\/em>!\u00a0Fasten\u00a0<\/em>is also the German verb for the English “to fast”.<\/p>\n

2. Karneval<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The term\u00a0Karneval\u00a0<\/em>has a much younger origin: it dates back to the 17th century. The earliest Carnevale\u00a0<\/em>were held in medieval Venice with parades and masquerade balls, and from there spread across Europe, also to Germany.\u00a0Where exactly it comes from is unclear, but most likely comes from the Latin\u00a0carne levare\u00a0<\/em>(“remove meat”). This tuned into\u00a0carnelevale\u00a0<\/em>and later\u00a0Karneval<\/em>, Carnaval\u00a0<\/em>or Carnival. The German term was not always spelled with a K, and some associations still write the word using a C (thus:\u00a0Carneval<\/em>).<\/p>\n

3. Fastnacht<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

You might think, seeing the word, that\u00a0Fastnacht\u00a0<\/em>just means “fasting night”. Done. But that wouldn’t make sense:\u00a0Carnival is just the night that you don’t fast just yet! The last night to still go crazy and enjoy the excess before Lent kicks in. Here’s the explanation:\u00a0the\u00a0Fast\u00a0<\/em>in\u00a0Fastnacht\u00a0<\/em>comes from the Old German word\u00a0fasen\u00a0<\/em>(“to be foolish, silly, wild). So\u00a0Fastnacht\u00a0<\/em>is the night to go crazy and wild. Now\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>makes more sense!<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Die f\u00fcnfte\u00a0Jahreszeit<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n