What Fat Tuesday is for New Orleans, Rosenmontag ("Rose Monday") is for the German Rhineland area, mainly for the towns of Düsseldorf and Köln (Cologne).
The Carnival parades in these two towns draw thousands of spectators every year, who come to applaud or critizise the elaborate floats, which – built in secrecy weeks or even months ahead of time – skewer everything and anybody, from world leaders to local mayors to terrorists. During the Carnival Parade, freedom of speech is taken to new heights.
Some of my favorite floats from last Monday's parades in Cologne and Düsseldorf:
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| "Terror... has nothing... to do with Religion" |
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| Mr. Putin's real physique: Economy (left) and Military (right) | | | |
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| On the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris: "One can't kill satire" |
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| Arm-wrestling between ISIS and El Quaeda |
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| The shark (GOP) and the lame duck (Mr. Obama) |
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| German Chancellor Angela Merkel as Cyclops under fire from a Greek boy |
Did you ever visit a Rhineland Carnival parade? What did you think of it?
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all photos ©dpa
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