Traditionally lent are the last 40 days before Easter starting on Ash Wednesday during which you’re supposed to fast and give-up on luxuries. So you better enjoy the last days before all this fasting starts. This is what people all over the world do, whether it’s the famous Carnivals in Rio or Venice, Mardi Gras in New Orleans or the English Shrove Tuesday. In Germany there are many regional names and traditions: most famous is the Karneval in the Rhineland with their big parades on Rose Monday, an unofficial but arguably the most important holiday in that region. There is the alemannic Fasnacht in Southwest Germany and Switzerland where people wear wooden masks. And for Fasching the marketers in Munich dance on the Viktualienmarkt. Traditional Fasching food are hole-less donuts which have a different name all over Germany: Berliner, Pfannkuchen, Krapfen, Kreppel etc…
Cities like Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz may call themselves “Karnevalshochburg” (Carnival Capital) but we have to add another place to that list: every year there is a big Fasching celebration in Portland at PKS. Kids and parents dress up, there are games, dancing and of course a lot of tasty Berliner and other good food. This year the children had prepared a little play with their teachers. It was called “Großvaters große Rübe – Grandfather’s big carrot” and although it was based on a Russian fairy tale the theme of the story was very Portland about urban farming, community efforts and healthy local vegetables, as the whole family down to the little mouse has to help Grandpa to pull out his giant carrot. Everybody enjoyed the day and there were a lot of tired kids that evening. Good thing they have 40 days to rest and slow down before hunting Easter eggs.