Scotch College

Karneval puts winter to flight: in summer

When the Karneval celebrations began in Germany hundreds of years ago, it was for a very special reason. After three months of cold, dark weather, people had grown tired of the winter. To try to make spring come back earlier, the people dressed up in scary masks and costumes and made a lot of noise. They thought that if they were scary enough, they might just scare winter away. The Karneval tradition continues today in Germany.

But it’s not just the Germans who love to dress up at the end of January or the beginning of February. During the first week of term 1, boys and staff in the Junior School also wore bright costumes and painted their faces to join in the celebrations of ‘Germany’s fifth season’.

There was certainly no need for us to scare winter away here, but the Germans also have a saying: ‘Whoever is not foolish at Karneval is foolish for the rest of the year.’ That was sufficient reason for us to enjoy the Tolle Tage, which means ‘Crazy Days’.

Cornelia Kohné-drube
Head of LOTE