Beginning of carnival in Cologne: roaring, screeching and joie de vivre

EIt’s November 11th, 11:11 a.m., and the reporter didn’t make it to the Heumarkt. It’s her own fault, why is she sitting in some conference until a quarter to four, only to then throw on the pink flamingo cloak (“Oh, you’re disguised!”, exclaims a colleague in the video call, relieved at the supposed fashion faux pas in full-body pink ), jump on the rental bike and cycle in the direction of the city center.

Only this year Zülpicher Strasse is also closed to cyclists, and detours through the university district only lead them deeper and deeper into the carnival swamp of feathers and glitter and loveless body suits, until the reporter finally rents the bike (a literal fool, who on a day like this takes your own with you) half-carry, half-push across the meadow in front of the canteen, past thousands of students, who mostly stroll along in randomly thrown together outfits that could euphemistically be described as costumes, with large plastic bottles with “mixture” in them and at times staring at them .

Group costumes are back in fashion

At 11:11 a.m. on November 11, 2022, the reporter is in a tunnel, where Bachemer becomes Lindenstrasse and where today cars are only driving at walking pace because passers-by are spraying the windows with their mixture. In the tunnel then huge theatre, roaring, screeching and: joie de vivre.

11.25, Heumarkt. Done – and hopefully not missed much. Group costumes are very popular again this year, for example a group of women are dressed as ladybugs. “We come from Fribourg! And we were happy to come to Cologne again. Just have fun!” says a beetle. Three young women who walk as Rudolf the reindeer come from Munich. “We didn’t come the last few years because of Corona and because it was too far for us.” Now they’re back, driving 570 kilometers to drink Kölsch “and just have a good time”. On to the next group, four Elsa ice queens. “I’m XXL-sa,” says the tallest. They made their costumes themselves, “it didn’t even take five hours,” says a smaller Elsa. They also came specially from Aschaffenburg. Then they want to see the reporter’s press card first, completely rude – and ask, reassured because everything is serious, for tips for the day. You will be sent to Southtown.

All well and good, but where are the people of Cologne? A group of at least 20 men, young and old, looks promising. They wear nice quirky hats and uniforms – and pose as a carnival club from Holland. “De Ezels”, with a pretty little donkey on their hats, come from Gassel. At the end they give the reporter in a flamingo costume a small silver donkey to pin on. Eh-ah-alaaf!

On we go, always looking for people from Cologne. A group of men dressed up as geishas. “Where are you from?” – “China, Dear.” It turns out that you only come from Freiburg. Is her costume still politically correct, the politically almost overly correct flamingo wants to know. “That’s not what it’s about today,” says a geisha. They like to be snapped and wish the flamingo all the best. “Keep that beautiful smile! That is the most important thing in life!”

Finally, away from the hustle and bustle: a woman from Cologne! A real or also: an Escht Cologne girl! “I live for the carnival, with and through the carnival,” she says and emphasizes in Cologne singsong that the heart sings along. “It starts with sewing the costumes, I do that for six people.” The last two years were bad, she says, really bad. “Finally I can again! Finally!” But, like the flamingo, she misses the people of Cologne that day. “A Swiss woman just came along, she looked really great in a chic theater costume. And she said: There should be a program here! So I said: girls! Go to the stage! There are the Paveier – that’s the program! There’s no opera here today.” What’s the name of the girl from Cologne? “In Cologne we are all called Marie. That’s my third name; and that’s enough for today.” Marie is 72 years old, she’s still waiting for her girlfriend – and then they want to go over to Sion. “It’s a Cologne store!”

And then there’s the weather! The sun glitters over on the Rhine, the sky is light blue, it’s much too clear for the untidy carnival Cologne. A few men have brought a pumping system with them, and a song is playing about people with beautiful horns reminiscent of cars. And in the old town kiosk around the corner you can meet the best-humoured kiosk man in the world. Is his costume a kiosk seller? “Exactly,” he exclaims, beaming. Well made. “But you too, you flamingo! I can only say: You are definitely in the recall!”