CARNIVAL LUCERN, CH RS PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO rahel studhalter | [email protected] | IG: rahelstudhalter ABOUT CARNIVAL The Lucerne Carnival is the largest annual event LUCERN in the city of Lucerne and central Switzerland. It is one of the largest carnival events in Switzerland, alongside the Basel Fasnacht, the Rabadan and the Bärner Fasnacht. The origin of the Fasnacht goes back TAGWACHT, URKNALL & FÖTZELIRÄGE a long way. The Catholic Church Fasnacht starts on the Dirty Thursday („Schmot- used Lent in the Middle Ages to zige Donnschtig“), the Thursday before Rose show the faithful how Jesus suffe- Monday („Güdismäntig“). With the day watch red. The carnival days helped to use at 5 o‘clock in the morning the public festival in up the supplies of perishable food the old town begins. A boat with Brother Fritschi and to eat really hearty food: Sausa- and his Fritschi family on board arrives from Lake Lucerne at Schweizerhofquai in Lucerne. Brother ges and typical desserts like Zieger- Fritschi is the imaginary head of Lucerne‘s largest krapfen, Schenkeli or Chneublätze and oldest guild, the Guild of Saffron (founded (carnival pies). You can still buy the- around 1400). The „Big Bang“, a very loud deto- se today in the shops and bakeries nation, gives the Guuggenmusigen and all Fas- in February and March. nächtlern the signal to begin. In addition, a Celtic custom is con- The Fritschi father and guild master of saffron tinued. With the fearsome masks, receives brother Fritschi and leads him to the Fritschi fountain on the Kapellplatz. They are ac- shaggy costumes and loud music companied by guests of honour, the Fritschi fa- the winter spirits are driven away mily (Fritschene, the wife of Brother Fritschi, with and the fertile springtime is welco- jester, bajazzo, child maid and farmer) as well as med. by Harsthornbläser and some Guggenmusik. The thousands of carnivalists, who are already on their feet in the morning, then meet on the Kapellplatz for the „fool‘s rain“, which consists of more than 5 million pieces of paper measuring approx. 4 × 4 cm. The paper shreds, which are made from old telephone books, are filled in several bags, each with an explosive device. These bags, which were placed high above the chapel square the day be- fore, are detonated as soon as the Fritschi family has arrived at the Fritschi fountain. The „Fötzeli“ then rain down on the crowd. Afterwards the tra- ditional orange throwing around the Fritschibrun- nen begins. There was a record attendance at the Tagwache 2015 with 18‘000 participants. .