String Of Butterflies: Karneval pt1

So it's Karneval season here in the North-Rhine Westphalia. Think Halloween meets Mardi Gras (Mardi Gras is in fact celebrating the same religious holiday). The first parades started in Cologne many, many years ago. I could go into all the religious facts about what the season is about, but well, you could Wikipedia it and get a whole lot more from it. Other than Oktoberfest in Munich, it's one time of the year the normally staid and serious Germans go absolutely crazy. Some plan for months what their costume was going to be, me, I got mine a month or so before.... can we say Arrrrr Matey? Quite a few places give people in the area Thursday afternoon off and the following Monday- Rosenmontag. Thursday is special in the Rhineland as it is Weibernachtfest day. "It is on this day the custom that women to men the tie cut as a symbol of male power. So the men only run around with a tie stump, for which they are remunerated with a Bützchen (kiss). (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weiberfastnacht)."

My attempt at a timer selfie before wind and rain got to the costume

For the group of people I was with, it meant brunch followed by partying in a bar. We spent the better half of day showing off our costumes and enjoying snacks. My favorite costumes were Ghostbusters and a dandelion. A bunch of people were drinking Pils (Pilsner), and eating Mett with onions on Brotchen. Aka minced raw pork, on a bread roll, with raw onions on top (the vegetarian me goes bleh), people swear by it though. I made a puff pastry with apricot lavender jam on it, and I happily munched on that.... I need to find more of that jam when the French market happens again (happy sigh). After shenanigans, we all went downstairs where an even bigger party was happening on the 1st floor of the building. There were the three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, there were guys dressed as girls and vice versa. The humorous part being when a colleague didn't realize of of the 'girls' was a guy, and commented afterwards, 'wow, he has good legs.' Eventually the party moved to Das Nyx in Alt Stadt, holding beers the whole way. Now I should preface, I liked the whole costume/brunch part of Karneval, but I wasn't a big fan of being around people who were trashed by 12. I especially wasn't a big fan of supporting said people at Nyx after brunch either, I might have felt different if I was into drinking a lot etc. Nyx was crowded worse than a concert, and to get to the main group I had to squeeze through many people. Once there there was dancing to German Karneval music (sounded like it was from the 80-90s). Everyone was singing and dancing along. After a while it just got too hot, too crowded, and too sloppy around me, so I decided to go home and regain some of my hearing. Until Monday... I'll be going to the parades :)