German Vocabulary > Fasching Glossary Fasching/Karneval (2)

 
ENGLISH-GERMAN GLOSSARY

Karneval | Fasching | Fastnacht | Fasnet | Mardi Gras

Carnival or Mardi Gras goes by many names in German, depending on the region and dialect. Whether you call it Fastnacht, Fasching or Karneval, it is a time for revelry, humor, and satire. Although its origins go back to ancient pagan times, it is the Romans and the Italians to whom the Germans owe many aspects of their celebration. The former Roman settlements of Cologne, Bonn and Mainz still celebrate Karneval (from Latin). In this annotated glossary, you’ll find vocabulary and facts related to the “fifth season.”

Also see:
  Fasching / Karneval: What’s in a Name
  German Hangman: Fasching

ABBREVIATIONS:
adj. (adjective), adv. (adverb), , f. (feminine), lit. (literary), m. (masculine), n. (noun), pl. (plural), sl. (slang), v. (verb)

Glossary Copyright © Copyright © 2000-2011 Hyde Flippo

Ash Wednesday  der Aschermittwoch
  The day after Carnival ends; the day Lent begins.

association, guild, society (Carnival)  der Verein, die Zunft, die Gesellschaft
  Also see "guild" below.

ball (dance)  der Ball (Bälle)
  Carnival ball  der Faschingsball, der Karnevalball

Basel, Basle  - See "Carnival in Basel" below.

bead(s)  die Perle (-n)
  glass beads Glasperlen (pl.)
  string of beads die Perlenschnur, die Perlenkette

candy, sweet(s) (thrown from floats)  der/das Bonbon (-s), die Süßigkeit (-en)
candy tossers (on floats)  der Bonbon-Werfer (-)

Carnival in Basel  die Basler Fasnacht (Switzerland)
  Known for starting a week later than other Carnival celebrations, on the Monday after Ash Wednesday.
WEB > Basler Fasnacht (fasnacht.ch)

Carnival, Mardi Gras  der Fasching, die Fastnacht, der Karneval
  The German words for “Carnival” vary by region. Karneval is from Latin. Fasching and Fastnacht are Germanic. In general, German cities that were once Roman settlements (Cologne, Rhineland) use the Latin Karneval, while non-Roman areas in the south use the Germanic Fasching or Fastnacht. However, the word Fasching is also used in Berlin/Brandenburg and in Saxony (Sachsen). For more, see the link below:

MORE > Fasching / Karneval: What’s in a Name

Carnival (rhyming) speech  die Büttenrede (-n)
  The tradition of humorous, rhyming Büttenreden began in Cologne. An entire industry, complete with books and Web sites, has grown up around it.

Carnival / Mardi Gras parade  der Karnevalsumzug (-züge)
Carnival / Mardi Gras prince  der Karnevalsprinz (-en)
Carnival / Mardi Gras princess  die Karnevalsprinzessin (-nen)

clown, fool, jester  der Jeck (-en), der Narr (-en)

costume (n.)  das Kostüm (-e), die Verkleidung (-en)
  to wear a costume  ein Kostüm tragen, sich verkleiden
costumed, in costume (adj.)  verkleidet

the fifth season (Carnival)  die fünfte Jahreszeit (Karneval)

float (n.) der Festwagen (-) in parade

fool, clown, jester  der Jeck (-en), der Narr (-en)
fool's / jester's cap  die Narrenkappe (-n), die Narrenmütze (-n)

foolish, silly (adj.)  närrisch
the foolish/silly season  die närrische Saison (Karneval and the period leading up to Shrove Tuesday)

Greasy (fat) Thursday  Schmutziger Donnerstag - For more, see "Women's Carnival" below and Fasching / Karneval: What’s in a Name.

guild  die Zunft (Zünfte)
  fool's / jester's guild  die Narrenzunft
  Carnival guilds or societies organize and run the season's events.

jester, clown, fool  der Jeck (-en), der Narr (-en)

Krewe (New Orleans)  die Zunft (Zünfte)
  Mardi Gras guilds/societies in New Orleans are called "Krewes."

Glossary continued below...

 
Lent, the Lenten season  die Fastenzeit
  Lent, the 40-day Fastenzeit, begins on Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch) and ends at Easter (Ostern).

mask  die Maske (-n), die Schemme (-n)
  In some regions, rules and tradition require that Karnevalmasken be hand-carved and made only of wood.

parade  der Umzug (Umzüge)

Rose Monday  der Rosenmontag
  Rose Monday parade  der Rosenmontagsumzug
  This is the big parade day for Karneval in Cologne, while Fasching in the south reaches its climax on Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras, "fat Tuesday"). Rosenmontag actually has nothing to do with roses, but is derived from rasen, to rave or rage!

VIDEO > Rosenmontagsumzug - Karneval in Sondershausen - Thüringen (YouTube, 4:28, with German narration)

Shrovetide, Carnival  die Fastnacht
Shrove Tuesday  der Fastnachtsdienstag, der Faschingsdienstag

Women’s Carnival/Thursday  die Weiberfastnacht
  On the last Thursday before Fastnacht, also called Fastelabend, Schmutziger Donnerstag or Schmotzige Dunschstig, women play pranks such as cutting off men's ties. The term Schmutziger Donnerstag (also Fetter Donnerstag) comes from a dialect word for "greasy" or "fat" (as in Mardi Gras, "fat Tuesday").
Other names for Weiberfastnacht: Dorendonderdach, feister Phinztag, gumpiger Donstag, kleine Fastnacht (Oberrhein), Fetter Donnerstag, Schwerer Donnerstag (Rheinland), Semperstag, tumbe Fassnacht, unsinniger Donnerstag, Weiberdonnerstag, wuetig Donnerstag, Wuscheltag (Basel), Zemperstag, Zimpertag.

NEXT > Fasching / Karneval: What’s in a Name
MORE > German Hangman: Fasching

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Glossary Copyright © 2000-2011 Hyde Flippo