Can you celebrate carnival when war breaks out in Europe?
The festival committee of the Cologne carnival is not considering canceling the planned celebrations: "Today the street carnival starts, which means for the revelers in Cologne mainly celebrating individually, outside or in the pub.
After two years of the pandemic, the longing for it is very great - and canceling with such a short lead time is not even possible from a purely organizational point of view.
From our point of view, it would also send the wrong signal.”
Carnival Prince wants to give "a little joy".
The first people in costumes were out and about in Cologne on Thursday morning.
According to the festival committee, the events in the Ukraine do not leave the carnival fans unaffected.
The thoughts of many revelers this morning are with the people in Ukraine, who are anxious about the next few days.
"But we have also learned in the recent past that carnival has an important function for people in times of crisis.
Having the limits of cheerfulness dictated by a despot does not correspond to the idea of fast love, in which freedom and equality are paramount.” A spokeswoman for the city of Cologne also said that the reception of the triumvirate in the town hall was taking place as planned.
Cologne Carnival Prince Sven I said: "It's not easy to pull the trigger at such events, but we also owe it to the revelers in this city to give them a little joy.
We are aware of this responsibility and we will definitely meet it, ”said the carnival prince on Thursday at a reception in Cologne City Hall.
Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker (non-party) held a minute's silence at the beginning of the street carnival on Thursday to commemorate those who suffered from the Russian attack on Ukraine.
"I really don't feel like celebrating, but neither I nor the festival committee can and want to cancel the carnival," said Reker at a reception in the town hall.
“We cannot close the pubs and impose a curfew anyway, the state legislature would have to do that.
Everyone has to decide for themselves whether they want to celebrate in view of this situation. ”She doesn't celebrate herself.
The street carnival in the Rhineland traditionally begins on Weiberfastnacht.