“Alaaf” and “Helau”, everyone has probably heard that. But at which carnival do you shout something? And what's behind it? That's where things get more complicated. Test your knowledge with our quiz! Here's how it works: The fool's call is presented at the top, and you have to select the appropriate location at the bottom of the map of Germany.

Start the quiz here:

By the way, there is only one correct answer to each fool's call - even if that doesn't mean that the call only sounds nationwide in the city that is specified as correct in the quiz. Likewise, it cannot be ruled out that different calls are common in individual carnival societies than those provided for in the quiz for the respective city. For the quiz, we wrote to the 35 regional carnival associations in Germany and in some cases also asked affiliated clubs. However, the guessing game can only represent a selection; it is an approach to the endlessly colorful world of carnival in Germany.

And what exactly is the situation with Alaaf and Helau? There are various explanations for the two most famous jester calls. According to one of the legends, they arose in the Middle Ages from a conflict between merchants from Cologne and Mainz.

From 1259 onwards, Cologne had the so-called stacking right: every ship that passed through the city had to offer its goods for sale to the people of Cologne for three days. “Al aaflade” meant: “Unload everything!” A merchant from Mainz didn’t want to accept that: “I want to drive this way,” he is said to have said, something like: “I want to drive this way.” He and his crew eventually broke through the blockade, injuring the merchant. He was treated at a place near the Düssel, and as a thank you he is said to have given his cargo to the residents - with the result that the people of Düsseldorf and Mainz now shout "Helau" at Carnival and the people of Cologne "Alaaf".

There are countless other exclamations, local and regional peculiarities. It starts with the name of the traditional celebrations. One carnival is another carnival or carnival. This map provides an overview:

Would you like to know more about carnival, carnival and carnival? Then you can find further information here.