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CARNIVAL<br />
in Basel<br />
UNESCO<br />
Intangible Cultural Heritage<br />
of Humanity
4 72 Hours of Fasnacht<br />
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8<br />
9<br />
10<br />
11<br />
12<br />
14<br />
15<br />
16<br />
17<br />
18<br />
19<br />
20<br />
Morgestraich<br />
Cortège / Schnitzelbanks<br />
Kids’ Carnival<br />
Gugge Parade and Concert<br />
Lantern Exhibition<br />
Cortège / Ändstraich<br />
Basel Fasnacht City Map<br />
Facts & Figures<br />
Masks and Costumes<br />
History of Fasnacht<br />
Badges / Committee<br />
Fasnacht Glossary<br />
Good to Know<br />
BaselCard / Dates<br />
23 Getting Here<br />
2
WELCOME TO THE<br />
BASEL CARNIVAL<br />
For many people in Basel it is the highlight<br />
of the year: Carnival, or the “three<br />
best days of the year” (drei scheenschte<br />
Dääg) as many like to call it, when young<br />
and old take to the streets, make music,<br />
celebrate, and enjoy the brief period of<br />
jester’s licence.<br />
The Basel carnival, or Fasnacht, is a grand<br />
spectacle of colour, costumes, and sounds<br />
that contributes to the city’s identity like<br />
no other event. Not only do countless locals<br />
feel a deep connection with this hallowed<br />
tradition, it also attracts thousands<br />
of visitors from all corners of the world.<br />
Let yourself be carried away by the colourful<br />
hustle and bustle in Basel’s streets,<br />
alleys, and pubs. Even if you’re only a<br />
bystander you’ll get to know a lot about<br />
local customs and traditions even though<br />
the Basel dialect and sense of humour<br />
might prove a bit confusing. But one<br />
thing’s for sure: it’s an event you’ll not<br />
forget!<br />
The Fasnachts-Comité<br />
and Basel Tourismus<br />
3
72 HOURS OF FASNACHT<br />
The Basel Fasnacht is the largest carnival<br />
in Switzerland. Traditionally it starts at<br />
four o’clock sharp in the morning of the<br />
Monday after Ash Wednesday, and goes<br />
on for precisely seventy-two hours.<br />
As chaotic and confusing the Basel<br />
Fasnacht may seem to outsiders, it is<br />
in actual fact quite a structured and<br />
organized event. The carnival season<br />
opens between Xmas and New Year when<br />
the motto of the upcoming Fasnacht is<br />
revealed and the new badge (Blaggedde)<br />
is presented, and continues throughout<br />
January with various stage events. During<br />
this period, the various formations also<br />
work on the sujet* they plan to play out<br />
during carnival.<br />
For the active participants, Fasnacht<br />
commences on Sunday evening when the<br />
cliques* usher in their new lantern to the<br />
sound of piccolos, before it really takes<br />
off before dawn on Monday morning at<br />
the Morgestraich.<br />
This pivotal event is followed by two<br />
days of large parades through town<br />
(Monday and Wednesday); on Tuesday it<br />
is time for the kids’ carnival, the lantern<br />
exhibition on Münsterplatz, the exhibition<br />
of floats and props on Kaserne square,<br />
and the Guggenmusik* concerts. In the<br />
evenings, often until the early hours of<br />
morning, the attention is on so-called<br />
Gässle*. These are the inviolable cornerstones<br />
of Basel’s “three exceptional days”.<br />
Terms marked with a * are explained in the glossary<br />
on pages 18/19.<br />
4
HUMOUR, CREATIVITY, AND<br />
SOCIAL CRITIQUE<br />
The development of the Basel Fasnacht<br />
as a form of protest against a repressive<br />
ruling class lent it its special character<br />
for which it is famous well beyond the<br />
boundaries of Switzerland today. This<br />
background also explains the typical spite<br />
and satire of Basel carnival humour. Relying<br />
on wit and irony, carnivalists poke fun<br />
at everything that went wrong in politics,<br />
culture, and society over the last year.<br />
CARICATURE AND ART<br />
Be it the costumes or the lanterns: the<br />
cliques* enact their sujet* to the very last<br />
detail, celebrating the art of caricature to<br />
the fullest. Numerous famous painters<br />
once laid down the foundations of this<br />
tradition – a tradition that is now carried<br />
on each year by countless artists and<br />
designers in the same spirit.<br />
UNESCO CULTURAL<br />
HERITAGE<br />
In 2017, UNESCO added the Basel Fasnacht<br />
to its representative list of Intangible<br />
Cultural Heritage, thus paying tribute<br />
to the rich tradition and singularity of this<br />
three-day event. What makes it so impressive,<br />
according to UNESCO, is its unique<br />
blend of music, written and oral forms of<br />
expression, and artisanal outputs.<br />
5
Monday, 4am<br />
MORGESTRAICH<br />
The magic moment<br />
On Monday after Ash Wednesday, the town rises at four o’clock<br />
sharp to the Morgestraich, the impressive start to the Basel<br />
Fasnacht. Upon the fourth chime of St Martin’s church, all<br />
the lights go off in the inner city. At the drum majors’ command<br />
of “Morgestraich: vorwärts, marsch!”, the alleys and the<br />
streets spring to life with the sound of hundreds of piccolos<br />
and drums. All the cliques* open with the Morgestraich, a very<br />
traditional and archaic marching tune, which is only played on<br />
this occasion. The only light in the blacked-out streets comes<br />
from the myriad of lanterns that accompany the pipers and<br />
drummers, alighting the faces of thousands of spectators at the<br />
side of the streets, many of them from abroad: a truly magical<br />
moment!<br />
What started in the 19th century as a simple procession of<br />
drums and torches, has in the meantime become a total artistic<br />
and musical experience. The flickering torches of then have<br />
been replaced by extraordinary works of lantern art, while the<br />
simple sound of military pipes and drums has been transformed<br />
into music of almost concert level.<br />
6
Monday, 1.30pm – 6pm<br />
CORTÈGE<br />
The large parade<br />
On Monday and Wednesday afternoon it is time for the large<br />
street parade, the so-called cortège, when roughly 11,000<br />
maskers play out their sujet* in fixed formations of varying size.<br />
Unlike the Morgestraich, the cortège is an event for all Fasnacht<br />
formations, that is, large and small cliques*, huge floats, individual<br />
maskers (Ainzelmasgge*), Guggenmusik* bands, groups of<br />
masks, and elegant horse-drawn carriages (chaises).<br />
In some cases, a formation’s sujet* is already recognizable from<br />
a distance – namely on the large lantern that precedes each<br />
traditional clique*. The sujet* is also represented and reflected<br />
in the head-masks (Larve*), costumes, and props (Requisiten*).<br />
Behind the lantern and the so-called Vortrab (vanguard) come<br />
the pipers, the drum major, and finally the drummers.<br />
In the evenings<br />
SCHNITZELBANKS<br />
One of the most salient features of the Basel Fasnacht are<br />
the so-called Schnitzelbanks. The satirical rhyming songs are<br />
regarded as the epitome of carnival humour. The Schnitzelbank<br />
singers, who usually also write the songs, comment on political<br />
and social events that occurred over the last year in elegantly<br />
rhymed and witty verses, usually spiced up with a sound portion<br />
of satire and a pinch of humorous malice.<br />
Schnitzelbank singers perform in restaurants and theatres on<br />
Monday and Wednesday evening, on Tuesday evening also in<br />
clique cellars and private houses. Just as important as the songs<br />
are the illustrations that go with them, the so-called Helge;<br />
each song comes with its own picture which is held up to the<br />
audience. A good illustration provides hints to the song’s theme,<br />
but without disclosing the punchline.<br />
Terms marked with a * are explained in the glossary on pages 18/19.<br />
7
Tuesday afternoon<br />
KIDS’ CARNIVAL<br />
On Tuesday afternoon, the city centre is again<br />
caught up in the hustle and bustle of Fasnacht,<br />
but now it’s the children’s turn. In small groups,<br />
kids accompanied by parents, grandparents,<br />
and other grown-ups practise the traditions<br />
of Fasnacht. Dressed in imaginative costumes<br />
and equipped with drums, musical instruments,<br />
and small handcarts they roam the streets,<br />
distribute Dääfeli (sweets) and Zeedel, witty<br />
leaflets they’ve written themselves, and shower<br />
the spectators with Räppli*. In turn, adults,<br />
too, make use of the day to celebrate carnival<br />
unconstrained by the strict schedule of the<br />
cortège, in loose formations and wearing their<br />
favourite personal mask and costume.<br />
Terms marked with a * are explained in the glossary on pages 18/19.<br />
8
Tuesday, from 6.30pm<br />
GUGGE PARADE AND CONCERT<br />
On Tuesday evening, the town is in the hands of the Guggenmusik*<br />
bands. A part of the roughly 60 brass bands equipped with<br />
ear-shattering trumpets, trombones, tubas, drums, kettledrums,<br />
and cymbals convene at Exhibition Square around 6.30pm. From<br />
there they parade through Clarastrasse towards the city centre<br />
and the three large squares (Barfüsserplatz, Marktplatz, and<br />
Claraplatz) where they perform on specially erected stages. The<br />
popular and eagerly awaited Gugge* concerts are staged between<br />
7.30 and 10.30pm but most of the bands also play before and<br />
after the main event in restaurants and on squares across town.<br />
On this evening, the piper and drummers give way to the<br />
Guggenmusik* bands and retreat to the small alleys away from<br />
the main streets and squares.
Monday evening until Wednesday morning<br />
LANTERN EXHIBITION<br />
After the parade on Monday afternoon, the cliques* display their<br />
elaborately designed lanterns on the Münsterplatz. Featuring<br />
the visualized sujets*, the lanterns reveal their true magic after<br />
dark when they are lit for the first time after Morgestraich. They<br />
come in many forms and styles. Some bear the unmistakable<br />
signature of regular artists, others are painted by laymen and<br />
-women. Today, new techniques and innovative materials are<br />
being employed increasingly. What once began with caricatures<br />
of well-known Basel politicians and personalities has over the<br />
last decades developed into a true art historical digest.<br />
EXHIBITION OF FLOATS<br />
AND PROPS<br />
Some of the large floats and props (Requisiten*) that feature in<br />
the cortège can be admired at the Kaserne where they are on<br />
display throughout the day on Tuesday.<br />
10
Wednesday, 1.30pm – 6pm and Thursday 4am<br />
CORTÈGE AND ÄNDSTRAICH<br />
On Wednesday, the cortège takes to the streets again from<br />
1.30pm. As on Monday, the parade is not restricted to traditional<br />
music groups. It also includes large floats on which the group’s<br />
sujet* is played out with the help of elaborate and fancy superstructures.<br />
The maskers who man the floats distribute flowers –<br />
usually mimosa – oranges, and sweets among the spectators, but<br />
they also love to shower the crowds with a rain of confetti.<br />
Most cliques* are headed by a so-called Vortrab (vanguard)<br />
whose job it is to clear the way for the advancing formation.<br />
Members of the Vortrab also hand-out Zeedel, leaflets on which<br />
the clique’s* Fasnacht theme is explained in witty verses.<br />
Fasnacht ends as it began on Monday morning with a set ritual.<br />
Piping and drumming along with Guggenmusik* continues until<br />
four o’ clock on Thursday morning, the so-called Ändstraich,<br />
when each formation for itself celebrates the end of Fasnacht<br />
with a final, specially chosen performance.<br />
Terms marked with a * are explained in the glossary on pages 18/19.<br />
11
BASEL CARNIVAL<br />
CITY MAP<br />
KASERNE<br />
MITTLERE BRÜCKE<br />
MARKTPLATZ<br />
MÜNSTERPLATZ<br />
BARFÜSSERPLATZ<br />
Tourist Information<br />
WETTS<br />
BRÜCK<br />
BAHNHOF SBB<br />
Tram 2/8/10/11<br />
Buses 30/50/48<br />
AESCH<strong>EN</strong>PLATZ<br />
Tram 3/8/10/11/14/15<br />
Buses 37/80/81<br />
12
KASERNE<br />
CLARAPLATZ<br />
MESSEPLATZ<br />
BADISCHER<br />
BAHNHOF<br />
Tram 2/6<br />
Buses 30/36/46/55<br />
WETTSTEINPLATZ<br />
Route of cortège<br />
Monday and Wednesday from 1.30pm<br />
Route of Gugge* parade Tuesday 6.30pm<br />
WETTSTEIN-<br />
BRÜCKE<br />
Sales points<br />
Fasnacht badges, Rädäbäng* and Zeedel<br />
Lantern exhibition<br />
Monday evening until Wednesday morning<br />
Exhibition of floats and props Tuesday<br />
Reserved seats for people with a reduced<br />
mobility during the cortège.<br />
• In the city centre, most shops are closed during the cortège.<br />
• Schnitzelbank troupes perform in the evening in pubs, clique<br />
cellars, and some theatres.<br />
• Fasnacht badges are sold at stalls run by the Fasnacht<br />
Committee, at the two tourist office outlets located at the<br />
Stadtcasino and the Swiss railway station SBB, and by<br />
vendors in the streets.<br />
13
FACTS & FIGURES<br />
ABOUT THE BASEL FASNACHT<br />
The Basel Fasnacht attracts more than<br />
200,000 VISITORS every year.<br />
Roughly 11,000 MASKERS take part in the<br />
cortège. At least as many prefer to parade<br />
with no fixed route through the streets and<br />
alleys of the Old Town.<br />
Around 500 FASNACHT FORMATIONS<br />
take part in the official cortège each year.<br />
TWO MONTHS before the “three best<br />
days of the year”, beginning in January, a<br />
number of pre-Fasnacht events are staged<br />
at various theatres in town.<br />
More than 500,000 WORKHOURS are<br />
invested in Fasnacht each year on a voluntary<br />
basis – roughly 100,000 of them in the<br />
service of children and adolescents.<br />
14
MASKS AND COSTUMES<br />
At the Basel Fasnacht, active participants<br />
hide their true identity under a Masgge<br />
(full-body mask) according to the unwritten<br />
laws of Fasnacht. The head-mask is<br />
referred to as Larve*; up to this day, most<br />
of them are still elaborately handcrafted.<br />
Many groups still design and create<br />
their own costumes and head-masks.<br />
One distinguishes between three types<br />
of costumes: parade costumes (which<br />
lend expression to a formation’s current<br />
sujet*), classical costumes, and individual<br />
fantasy costumes.<br />
Classical costumes include the Waggis (a<br />
parody of an Alsatian peasant), the Alti<br />
Dante (an “old aunt” from the Biedermeier<br />
period), the Blätzlibajass (modelled on<br />
the Bajazzo, the classical buffoon from<br />
the Comedia dell’ arte, with a costume<br />
made of hundreds of scraps of cloth), the<br />
Ueli (based on the figure of a medieval<br />
jester), and the Dummpeter (originally a<br />
trumpeter from the Rococo period).<br />
Terms marked with a * are explained in the glossary<br />
on pages 18/19.<br />
15
A GLIMPSE INTO<br />
THE HISTORY OF<br />
FASNACHT<br />
Like with most carnival<br />
customs, the roots of the<br />
Basel Fasnacht trace back to<br />
ancient Celtic and Germanic<br />
origins and practices relating<br />
to ancestor worship, fertility<br />
rites, and the expulsion of<br />
winter. Later it was also influenced<br />
by such events as medieval<br />
jousts, military musters<br />
organized by the city’s guilds,<br />
and religious festivals before<br />
Lent. When, during the age of<br />
Reformation, merrymaking<br />
and feasting were increasingly<br />
restricted, even banned<br />
at times, the Basel Fasnacht<br />
gradually developed into a<br />
display of resistance against<br />
the city’s authorities.<br />
In the 19th century, the nature<br />
of Fasnacht began to change.<br />
The first cliques* were formed,<br />
Schnitzelbank singers made<br />
their appearance for the first<br />
time, and piping and drumming gradually became<br />
the hallmark of Fasnacht. The parades<br />
became more political and gradually adopted<br />
their typical satirical bent.<br />
Fasnacht as we know it today took on its<br />
shape above all in the course of the latter<br />
half of the 20th century. In the years after the<br />
Second World War, many new cliques* were<br />
established, the quality of piping and drumming<br />
rose to new levels, while the costumes<br />
and head-masks (Larve*) took on their typical<br />
Basel touch. New traditions and rituals sprang<br />
up which are still celebrated today as if they<br />
had existed already for centuries.<br />
Terms marked with a * are explained in the glossary on pages 18/19.<br />
16
COMMITTEE<br />
The Fasnacht Committee, founded in 1910,<br />
consists of ten to fifteen honorary members<br />
and is responsible for the organization of<br />
the “three best days of the year”. It provides<br />
services to the groups involved in Fasnacht<br />
and mediates between the interests of<br />
the Fasnacht, the general public, and the<br />
authorities.<br />
BADGE<br />
The Blaggedde (Fasnacht badge) in the shape<br />
of a brooch enjoys high repute in Basel.<br />
It is considered a small work of art with the<br />
ability to convey the motto of the current<br />
Fasnacht in a single image. The proceeds<br />
from the sale of the Blaggedde is also the<br />
Fasnacht’s main source of income.<br />
17
FASNACHT GLOSSARY<br />
Clique<br />
Umbrella term for all groups actively involved<br />
in Fasnacht. These include traditional,<br />
piccolo and drum formations (often divided<br />
into a main section, Stammclique, an “old<br />
guard”, and a “young guard”), loosely<br />
organized groups of pipers and drummers,<br />
as well as Guggenmusik bands, floats, and<br />
carriages (Chaise).<br />
Gugge / Guggenmusik<br />
Short for Guggenmusik band; brass band<br />
accompanied by percussion instruments that<br />
plays popular tunes and hits with verve but<br />
slightly off-key. The band is usually headed<br />
by an impressive drum major.<br />
Sujet<br />
Specific theme chosen by a clique which it<br />
plays out during Fasnacht; usually a local,<br />
national, or international topic that has<br />
given rise to discussion and criticism over<br />
the last year.<br />
Larve<br />
Basel dialect term for head-mask.<br />
Requisit<br />
Prop consisting of different parts that illustrates<br />
the clique’s sujet. The prop makes up<br />
part of the clique’s formation and is drawn in<br />
a handcart during the cortège.<br />
18
Räppli<br />
Basel dialect term for confetti<br />
Gässle<br />
Playing music and parading through the<br />
alleys of the Old Town with no fixed route.<br />
Ainzelmasgge<br />
Term for a person in full costume who performs<br />
alone during Fasnacht.<br />
Määlsuppe, Kääs- and Ziibelewaie<br />
Local terms for roasted flour soup, cheese<br />
pie, and onion pie, favoured dishes at the<br />
Morgestraich but also served on other days<br />
during Fasnacht.<br />
Rädäbäng<br />
The official guide to Fasnacht is published<br />
two weeks before Fasnacht and lists all the<br />
upcoming events and respective sujets. The<br />
brochure is sold at the Fasnacht Committee’s<br />
sales points at Barfüsserplatz, Marktplatz,<br />
and Claraplatz and in Sutter bakery shops.<br />
Schyssdräggziigli<br />
Small group of pipers and/or drummers that<br />
gets together spontaneously but does not<br />
take part in the cortège.<br />
19
GOOD TO KNOW:<br />
Dos and Don’ts at the Basel Fasnacht<br />
«Not without a badge»<br />
Being the only way to make a small financial<br />
contribution to Fasnacht, wearing a badge<br />
(Blaggedde) is a matter of honour.<br />
No flash photography during Morgestraich<br />
Complete darkness is a prerequisite of Morgestraich.<br />
Brightly lit windows, neon signs, and<br />
other sources of light ruin the magic completely.<br />
Consequently, flash photography is an absolute<br />
taboo.<br />
All or nothing<br />
At the Basel Fasnacht, the only people to wear<br />
costume are the active participants – onlookers<br />
are asked to keep a low profile. Colourfully<br />
painted faces, false noses, and wigs are a no-go,<br />
except for children.<br />
No confetti on maskers<br />
Please don’t throw confetti at the maskers – it<br />
makes breathing under the head-mask extremely<br />
difficult. Also, do not pick up confetti from<br />
the street and throw it around.<br />
Do not throw things into the crowd<br />
Waggis and other figures on floats like to throw<br />
oranges and sweets into the crowd. Do not<br />
throw them back or into other parts of the audience,<br />
under any circumstances.<br />
Give way<br />
Enjoy Fasnacht with the due respect. Masked<br />
groups and individuals always have the right of<br />
way, so don’t hinder them, and please do not<br />
form human chains.<br />
Terms marked with a * are explained in the glossary<br />
on pages 18/19.<br />
20
Upgrade for overnight guests<br />
THE BASELCARD FOR FREE<br />
Visitors to Basel receive their personal guest card upon<br />
checking in at the hotel. It not only entitles you to free public<br />
transport and free use of the guest WiFi, the BaselCard also<br />
means a 50 % discount on admission to Basel museums, the<br />
zoo, the theatre, along with other benefits such as renting an<br />
e-bike for just CHF 20 a day. Get your e-bike from the Rent a<br />
Bike office at the SBB main train station.<br />
www.basel.com/en/BaselCard<br />
MORGESTRAICH UP TO 2025<br />
• 2 March 2020<br />
• 22 February 2021<br />
• 7 March 2022<br />
• 27 February 2023<br />
• 19 February 2024<br />
• 10 March 2025<br />
21
We wish to thank the following<br />
sponsors for their support:<br />
Imprint<br />
Edition: December 2019<br />
Published by: Fasnachts-Comité Basel<br />
/ Basel Tourismus<br />
Texts and editorial work:<br />
Maja Hartmann, VVH Basel<br />
Visual design: Domo Löw<br />
Translation: Nigel Stephenson<br />
Print: Druckerei Dietrich AG.<br />
Published in: G/E/F<br />
Photo credits:<br />
Pages 1/2/6/10/11/24:<br />
Basel Tourismus, Schweiz Tourismus<br />
Pages 4/9/14/17 above:<br />
Foto Mimmo, Basel<br />
Page 7: Philipp Neth<br />
Page 8: Ivo Birrer, Basel<br />
Page 15: Historisches Museum Basel<br />
Page 23: maboart, Basel<br />
For the sake of easier readability, we use the male form in our texts but,<br />
of course, women and men are addressed equally.<br />
22
GETTING HERE<br />
Visitors to the Basel Fasnacht are advised to<br />
come on foot or use public transport. Best leave<br />
your car at home or use one of the car parks<br />
at the edge of town. The bus and tram schedules<br />
are duly adapted to the high visitor volume.<br />
During the cortège on Monday and Wednesday,<br />
some road sections are closed completely for<br />
a few hours. The buses and trams are rerouted<br />
accordingly. Overnight guests benefit from<br />
their BaselCard which entitles them to free<br />
usage of buses and trams during their entire<br />
stay in Basel.<br />
Getting to Basel from afar is also easy, owing to<br />
Basel’s central location in Europe and excellent<br />
flight and rail connections. The EuroAirport<br />
is only 15 minutes away from the city centre.<br />
The same goes for Basel’s three train stations,<br />
the Swiss main train station SBB, the French<br />
train station SNCF, as well as the German train<br />
station Badischer Bahnhof, all of which are in<br />
walking distance to the town centre.<br />
23
www.basel.com<br />
www.fasnachts-comite.ch